Islanders: Lou Lamoriello Has No Update On Ilya Sorokin

As of yesterday at 5:00 pm, Ilya Sorokin can sign with the New York Islanders. His contract has expired in the KHL but Lou Lamoriello has no update.

It’s been roughly 19 hours since Ilya Sorokin has been a free man and he has not signed with the New York Islanders yet. I’m here to tell you that there is no reason to panic, despite the countdown to May 1.

Sorokin’s deal with CSKA Moscow expired at the end of April 30, which was 5:00 pm our time yesterday. According to Andrew Gross of Newsday, Lou Lamoriello has no update on Ilya Sorokin as of this morning.

Just because there is no update, doesn’t mean you have to be concerned about Sorokin coming here. There’s no reason to rush the deal when both he and the Islanders are ready they’ll get something done.

It’s easy to see why fans are so eager for Sorokin’s arrival. This past year in the KHL, he had a .935 save percentage and a 1.50 goals against average. Those video game-like numbers weren’t even his best performance in the Russian league.

Back in 2015-2016, as a 21-year-old, Sorokin had a .953 and a 1.06 goals against average. He’s definitely an intriguing prospect and someone you expect to see in the NHL sooner rather than later because of his age.

He’s going to have to sign a one-year ELC, which will most likely be for the max $925,000 with some performance bonuses mixed in. At that point, he’ll become a restricted free agent after year one and the Islanders will have the opportunity to extend him at any cost that they see fit.

So yes, Sorokin is going to have to sacrifice some money in year one, but as early as 2021-2022 he can be cashing in at the NHL level.

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The Ilya Sorokin watch is on, and it could be a while, so sit back, relax, and turn on the notifications for the Islanders’ Twitter account and Igor Eronko.