New York Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss was forced into the team’s starting role due to injury but, entering next season, he may just keep it.

Islanders general manager Garth Snow said Thursday Greiss “proved to be a No. 1 goalie” once he took over for the injured Jaroslav Halak on March 8.

"Thomas came in and displayed a great work ethic whether he was playing or whether he was backing up on a certain night,” Snow said, via NHL.com. “I think Thomas earned the respect from our players, from our coaches because of his personality, his demeanor, his work ethic. And when he got the opportunity to play, he seized it and he played great for us."

Greiss, 30, posted a 23-11-4 record in the regular season with a .925 save percentage and a 2.36 goals against average. In the playoffs, he went 5-6 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.46 GAA in his first 11 postseason starts.

The Islanders were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Halak, also 30, was unable to play again after injuring his groin in early March. Prior to the injury, he had posted an 18-13-4 record with a .919 save percentage and a 2.30 GAA as the team’s starter.

Halak and Greiss both also surrendered playing time to Jean-Francois Berube, who made six starts after being claimed by the Islanders off waivers in October. Berube also served as Greiss’ backup in the playoffs.

Berube is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, while Greiss has one year left on his contract -with a $1.5 million cap hit - and Halak has two years left at a $4.5 million AAV.