New York Islanders right to listen on Sorokin

The New York Islanders are right to listen on trade offers for Ilya Sorokin. The team has one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, and, logically, is the envy of plenty of teams around the league.

As such, there’s no reason to believe that other teams wouldn’t be interested in prying away the Isles’ star netminder. Such teams include the Edmonton Oilers.

Rumors have been doing the rounds this week, suggesting the Oilers have inquired on Sorokin’s availability. The rumors, justifiably, have ruffled Islanders fans’ feathers, and with good reason. The last thing the Islanders must do is move on from their franchise netminder after a wildly successful offseason.

But then again, general manager Mathieu Darche would be remiss if he didn’t at least listen to what other teams would be willing to offer for Sorokin.

Now, I’m not advocating for the Islanders to dump Sorokin. The optics in such a deal would be terrible. Unless the deal netted Connor McDavid on Leon Draisaitl, the trade would be a terrible idea.

However, purely from a business perspective, the Islanders cannot afford to pass on trade offers without first listening to what’s out there. If such a trade were reasonable for the Islanders, it’s Darche’s duty to at least run it by his team. If the consensus is to shoot it down, so be it.

But if there’s an offer that’s too good to be true, passing on the deal could be a missed opportunity.

The asking price on Sorokin would be astronomical

It goes without saying that the asking price on Ilya Sorokin would be astronomical. Since the Islanders have absolutely no need to trade Sorokin, the price tag must begin with at least a first-round pick.

However, we’re talking about the Oilers in this particular case. So, we’re assuming their first-round picks wouldn’t be as valuable since they would be in the latter portion of the first round.

Then, the price would continue with the team’s top prospect. Because of the Oilers’ push to contend for a Stanley Cup, their prospect cupboard is pretty bare. Edmonton’s best prospect at the moment is Isaac Howard, the reigning Hobey Baker winner, whom they just landed in a swap with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Howard is good, but not quite enough to get the needle moving.

The Oilers wouldn’t be looking to move a significant roster piece as the club needs them to contend. Edmonton would be nuts to move Draisaitl for Sorokin, as Draisaitl is a core player. A secondary core piece like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins just wouldn’t be enough.

Lastly, the Isles would need to get a goalie back. The Islanders would actually do the Oilers a favor by taking Stuart Skinner off their hands. That favor alone should earn the Isles a first-round pick.

In short, Islanders fans can rest assured that Sorokin won’t be going anywhere. Unless a team can pony up everything we have just outlined in this discussion, Sorokin will be staying put, even if Mathieu Darche patiently listens to teams plead their cases.