Islanders: Alex Nedeljkovic contract key in Ilya Sorokin negotiations

The New York Islanders have a ton of work to do in the offseason. One of their key goals in the offseason is re-signing all of their restricted free agents.

With a ton of cap space, the Islanders certainly have the space to sign all three (Anthony Beauvillier, Adam Pelech, and Ilya Sorokin) and still fit under the cap. That doesn’t mean the Isles should go on a spending spree and shell out millions indiscriminately.

Signing their RFAs to reasonable deals is still necessary. So, let’s look at one of them in particular; Ilya Sorokin. What’s a reasonable deal for him?

New York Islanders Ilya Sorokin could sign for around $3 million

Like with any contract preview, we have to look at comparables in the league. Are there recent signings for players who share the same quality as Ilya Sorokin? Luckily one was made just a few days ago.

In a head-scratching move, the Carolina Hurricanes moved 2020 Calder finalist Alex Nedeljkovic to the Detroit Red Wings for very little (backup Jonathan Bernier and a 2021 third-rounder).

Nedeljkovic had an incredible 20-21 season for the Carolina Hurricanes. Again, he was a Calder finalist finishing third in voting for rookie of the year. But his numbers weren’t too far from Ilya Sorokin’s stats from this past season.

*GSAx from MoneyPuck.com

After the trade to Detroit, the Red Wings signed the former Carolina goalie to a two-year bridge deal worth $3 million AAV.

Nedeljkovic, just like Ilya Sorokin is a 25-year-old goalie spent most of his time outside of the NHL. And put up excellent numbers while doing so. This was his first NHL payday after a big year at the top level.

Both Sorokin and Nedeljkovic are at similar points in their careers, at a similar age, and of similar quality. So looking at Nedeljkovic opens a window to Sorokin’s upcoming contract.

A two-year deal between $2.5 and $3 AAV million seems appropriate considering what the new Detroit Red Wings goalkeeper got recently.