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Ilya Sorokin

NHL Announces 2023 Vezina Trophy Finalists

May 11, 2023 at 6:45 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 2 Comments

The NHL has announced the 2023 Vezina Trophy nominees. The award is given “to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position” and is voted on by the NHL general managers. Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers won the award last year becoming the ninth different winner in the past ten seasons.

This year the finalists for the award are Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark.

Hellebuyck is looking to become just the second goalie in the last ten years to win two Vezina Trophies as the Jets netminder also picked up the award in 2020. Hellebuyck could have an interesting 12 months if he is able to grab another award for best netminder, the 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract with the Jets and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Hellebuyck posted elite numbers this past season in what was a bounce back season for the Michigan native after struggling in 2021-22. He posted a 37-25-2 record with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.

Speaking of unrestricted free agency, Ilya Sorokin can also become a free agent in a year’s time as he is entering the final year of his three-year deal with the Islanders. Sorokin would no doubt love to pad his resume with a Vezina Trophy as he has been playing on a below market contract for the past two seasons. Sorokin posted terrific numbers this season with a sparkling .924 save percentage to go along with six shutouts and a 31-22-7 record.

Finally, the front runner must be Linus Ullmark. The Swedish netminder posted wild numbers this season as he backstopped the Boston Bruins to a historical regular season. Ullmark had a 40-6-1 record with a .938 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average. He also led the league in goals by a goaltender having potted a tally into an empty net in a game against the Vancouver Canucks. Ullmark became just the 13th goalie in NHL history to accomplish the feat.

The Vezina Trophy will be awarded in June at the NHL Awards ceremony in Nashville.

Boston Bruins| New York Islanders| Winnipeg Jets Connor Hellebuyck| Igor Shesterkin| Ilya Sorokin| Linus Ullmark

2 comments

New York Islanders Sign Tristan Lennox To ELC

March 1, 2023 at 12:07 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski Leave a Comment

The New York Islanders have come to an agreement with their 2021 third-round pick, goaltender Tristan Lennox, on a three-year entry-level contract.

Lennox, 20, is in his fourth season with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and has posted a 22-15-1 record this year, with a 3.28 GAA and an .880 save percentage. He has twice been named the OHL Goaltender of the Week this season. For his OHL career, Lennox has played 116 games, and his 56 career wins rank fifth-most in Saginaw franchise history.

While the Islanders have a superstar in current goaltender Ilya Sorokin, this signing shows that they see Lennox has potential between the pipes. With goaltender size becoming more of a concern for NHL teams, Lennox has the size to be a star as he stands 6’4” and weighs 190 pounds. While his size is an obvious strength, some scouts view his ability to position his large frame as an area that can be improved on.

Lennox is eligible to spend next season in the minor leagues, where he could tandem with Jakub Skarek for AHL starts, or head to the ECHL for more regular playing time. With pending unrestricted free agent Semyon Varlamov potentially leaving town, the Islanders will be looking for a goaltender to make the jump at some point in the next few years.

New York Islanders Ilya Sorokin

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NHL Announces 2023 All-Star Player Assignments

February 2, 2023 at 3:55 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 12 Comments

The 2023 NHL All-Star Skills competition will take place tomorrow night, and today the league announced the full lineup of participants. Players from around the league will get to show off their unique abilities in several events, with each individual winner taking home $30,000.

Fastest Skater

Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Chandler Stephenson, Vegas Golden Knights
Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes

Breakaway Challenge

Roberto Luongo, Celebrity goaltender
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals*
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins*
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers

*Ovechkin and Crosby are listed as “teaming up”

Tendy Tandem

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers
Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders
Logan Thompson, Vegas Golden Knights
Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning

Splash Shot

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
Adam Fox, New York Rangers
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers

Accuracy Shooting

Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Kevin Hayes, Philadelphia Flyers
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
Nazem Kadri, Calgary Flames
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues

Pitch ’n Puck

Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus Blue Jackets
Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens

Hardest Shot

Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
Seth Jones, Chicago Blackhawks
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks

Uncategorized Adam Fox| Aleksander Barkov| Alex Ovechkin| Andrei Svechnikov| Andrei Vasilevskiy| Artemi Panarin| Brady Tkachuk| Brock Nelson| Cale Makar| Chandler Stephenson| Clayton Keller| Connor Hellebuyck| Connor McDavid| David Pastrnak| Dylan Larkin| Elias Pettersson| Igor Shesterkin| Ilya Sorokin| Jack Hughes| Jason Robertson| Johnny Gaudreau| Josh Morrissey| Juuse Saros| Kevin Hayes| Kirill Kaprizov| Leon Draisaitl| Linus Ullmark| Matthew Tkachuk| Mikko Rantanen| Mitch Marner| Nathan MacKinnon| Nazem Kadri| Nick Suzuki| Nikita Kucherov

12 comments

Snapshots: Three Stars, Niedermayer, Senators

November 28, 2022 at 2:52 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with Jason Robertson leading the way. The outstanding Dallas Stars forward racked up six goals and eight points in four games and is now just one point behind Connor McDavid for the league scoring lead. His 18 goals are first, and he continues to show that he’s ready to take over as the face of the Stars. With every goal he scores, the 2017 draft class from Dallas continues to look like the stuff of legends, with Robertson, Miro Heiskanen, and Jake Oettinger picked with the team’s first three selections.

Second and third place went to Josh Morrissey and Ilya Sorokin, respectively, who had their own incredible performances. The Winnipeg Jets Morrisey is tied for third in scoring among defensemen with 23 points on the year, and continues to put his name into the Norris Trophy conversation in his seventh NHL season. Sorokin meanwhile is well on his way to some more Vezina votes as he currently holds a .933 save percentage through 16 appearances.

  • Team Canada’s Spengler Cup squad will have some extra experience on hand this year, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports Scott Niedermayer will join the staff. The Hall of Famer will help the team’s defensemen, another signal that he may be considering a more serious career in hockey management. Earlier this year, Niedermayer was named special advisor to hockey operations for the Anaheim Ducks, where he was given an “advanced role” on Pat Verbeek’s staff. The 49-year-old retired in 2010 after 1,263 regular season games.
  • The Ottawa Senators have sent Lassi Thomson and Kevin Mandolese back to the AHL, given they don’t play again until Wednesday. They could be recalled again in the next few days, though Thomson did play just 9:18 in his appearance on Friday. Mandolese was recalled while Anton Forsberg dealt with a minor injury, meaning he likely won’t be back up unless another issue emerges.

AHL| Ottawa Senators| Snapshots| Team Canada Ilya Sorokin| Jason Robertson| Lassi Thomson| Spengler Cup

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Injury Notes: Benning, Wood, Sorokin

March 27, 2022 at 5:00 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Nashville Predators announced this afternoon that the team activated defenseman Matt Benning off injured reserve. Benning has been listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury for almost two weeks now, last playing in the team’s March 13th win against Minnesota. In his second season in Nashville, Benning has tallied 10 assists in 53 games and is again providing solid defensive depth at the bottom of the lineup. The team’s defensive depth is being stretched thin with injuries to both Mark Borowiecki and Dante Fabbro, so his return to the lineup carries some extra importance as the Predators look to lock down a playoff spot as the season winds to a close.

More from around the NHL today:

  • Another name is coming off injured reserve — New Jersey Devils forward Miles Wood. He’ll play his first game of the season tonight against the Canadiens, sitting out all year up until this point with a hip injury sustained during training camp. Wood is likely to draw in on the fourth line alongside youngsters Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian, and his physical game should give New Jersey’s forward group an edge that it’s lacked all season long. Up until this year, Wood had at least 10 goals and 20 points in four straight seasons.
  • New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said after today’s game against Tampa Bay that goalie Ilya Sorokin suffered an upper-body injury that took him out of the game after the second period. It’s unclear whether Sorokin will travel with the team to Columbus for their next game. If he’s out of the lineup, it’s a huge blow to any sliver of hope the Islanders had at making a miracle run into the playoffs. Quietly, Sorokin has been one of the NHL’s best this season, buoying the Islanders with his six shutouts and .927 save percentage in 42 starts. Coming into the game against Tampa Bay, he hadn’t had a save percentage under .929 in his last five games.

 

Injury| Nashville Predators| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| NHL Ilya Sorokin| Matt Benning| Miles Wood

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Snapshots: Wilson, Three Stars, Cash

October 25, 2021 at 2:59 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

Last year, Colin Wilson opened up in a piece for The Players’ Tribune, explaining that he had been dealing with untreated obsessive-compulsive disorder throughout his career. He was trying to educate young players on the importance of mental health and the risks that a professional career brought him.

Today, Wilson released an addendum titled “Addiction” in which he fully admits his addiction to drugs, use of Ambien and cocaine, and hopes to spread increased awareness following the recent fentanyl-contributed death of former NHL forward Jimmy Hayes. Wilson’s new piece is a worthwhile–if difficult–read for all sports fans.

  • The league has announced the Three Stars for last week, with Kyle Connor taking home top spot after racking up five goals and eight points in three games. The point total was the same for Connor McDavid, who was the week’s second star, while Ilya Sorokin posted an outstanding .971 save percentage with two shutouts to earn third place. Sorokin was the first Islanders’ goaltender to post shutouts in consecutive days as he held the fort while Semyon Varlamov recovered from injury.
  • One of the greatest sled hockey players of all time has announced his retirement, as Steve Cash will end his playing days after 16 seasons in goal for the U.S. National Team. Cash has three Paralympic Winter Games gold medals (and a bronze), eight World Championship gold medals, and lost just 16 games in regulation during his more than 150 starts for Team USA.

Retirement| Snapshots| Team USA Colin Wilson| Connor McDavid| Ilya Sorokin| Kyle Connor

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Snapshots: Extensions, Varlamov, Francouz

October 6, 2021 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

As is human nature, the 2021-22 season has not even started and discussion of the 2022 off-season has already begun. Tracking the impending free agent class, whose numbers inevitably decrease each year, is part of every season. Some will sign extensions soon, others will wait and see how the season progresses, and others are bound for the open market (and possibly the rental trade market beforehand). Pierre LeBrun writes for The Athletic that some of the biggest names among potential 2022 UFA’s are unlikely to become available. In fact, he believes the prize of the market, Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, has quietly been making steady progress on a new deal and could sign soon. LeBrun also reports that the Dallas Stars and John Klingberg are having “good and constant dialogue” on an extension while, unsurprisingly, future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron will have the deal of his choosing from the Boston Bruins if he feels healthy this season and decides to extend his career. Less certain are the futures of Tomas Hertl and Morgan Rielly, who could be the top targets on the free agent market if they don’t re-sign with their current teams. The San Jose Sharks are still hopeful they can re-sign Hertl, but that could very well depend on their success this season and whether a continued relationship makes sense, especially if Hertl could be a trade deadline gold mine. LeBrun feels Hertl’s days in San Jose are numbered. Barring an unforeseen disaster, Rielly will remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs all year, but the team will have to do some serious work early next summer in order to clear the cap space for an extension. LeBrun does not expect a resolution, one way or another, until after the season. Pittsburgh Penguins veterans Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are expiring contracts whose futures are still too early to call, among many others across the league including restricted free agents as well. There will plenty to watch, as usual, over the course of the coming season.

  • The New York Islanders are already facing some concerns in net. The team was taking a risky approach to their net depth as is by entering the season with cold veterans Cory Schneider and Ken Appleby as the backups to their NHL tandem of Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov. They may now be forced to call upon one of the two right away, as Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that Varlamov will not play in either of the Isles’ final two preseason games and is unlikely to be available for opening night, per head coach Barry Trotz. Schneider and Appleby played a combined nine games last season, all with AHL Bridgeport. Appleby has not played an NHL game since 2017-18 and Schneider has a .903 save percentage and 3.07 GAA over his last 79 NHL appearances. If the Islanders need to rely on either at the NHL level for an extended period of time this season, it could mean trouble. New York is hoping Varlamov can get back to action soon.
  • The Colorado Avalanche dealt with their own goaltending depth problems last season when backup Pavel Francouz was lost for the year. While Philipp Grubauer was a workhorse for Colorado, the absence of an established understudy led to young Hunter Miska receiving NHL experience and eventually the acquisition of Jonas Johansson, who performed well late in the year. Fortunately for the Avs both are back this season, as Francouz is already back in the injury spotlight. Francouz suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday night’s preseason game, reports Colorado Hockey Now’s Scott MacDonald. While head coach Jared Bednar denied that the issue was related to Francouz’s 2020-21 issues, it is hard to feel confident about the veteran goaltender playing on two surgically-repaired hips when he is already experiencing another injury. There is expected to be an update on Francouz’s condition later this week. Johansson would be the next man up if Francouz is unable to start the season, though new starter Darcy Kuemper is capable of being a workhorse himself if need be.

Colorado Avalanche| Injury| New York Islanders| Snapshots Aleksander Barkov| Evgeni Malkin| Hunter Miska| Ilya Sorokin| John Klingberg| Jonas Johansson| Ken Appleby| Kris Letang| Morgan Rielly| Patrice Bergeron| Pavel Francouz| Semyon Varlamov| Tomas Hertl

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Islanders Sign Jon Gillies To PTO

September 25, 2021 at 4:45 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

The New York Islanders have announced their training camp roster and it features a few non-roster invites, but none more interesting than goaltender Jon Gillies. Gillies comes over from the St. Louis Blues as an unsigned unrestricted free agent and could actually have a shot at a contract. The other two invites are AHL Bridgeport players, veteran defensemen Seth Helgeson and Mike Cornell. 

Whether it be his Providence College connection with GM Lou Lamoriello or simply his status as one of the few experienced goaltenders left available on the open market, Gillies has found his way to the Islanders this preseason and it could be a PTO worth watching. While New York has a stout NHL tandem in Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin, their depth is a concern. 35-year-old Cory Schneider was re-signed, but his 2020-21 season with the Isles resulted in zero NHL appearances and just two abysmal AHL starts. Ken Appleby was signed in April strictly for Expansion Draft purposes and he too was limited last season with just seven AHL appearances. Appleby, 26, played exclusively in the ECHL in 2019-20 as well. Jakub Skarek, 21, struggled with Bridgeport last season, while Tristan Lennox, 18, is not ready for the pros. With a strong camp performance, it is easy to see how Gillies might be able to fill a role for the Islanders this season.

A third-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2012, Gillies was a top college goalie and NCAA National Champion with the Providence Friars before turning pro early in 2015. Gillies performed well at the pro level immediately and his early returns in the AHL and in a small sample of NHL appearances put him position to battle to be the Flames’ goaltender of the future. However, this was a competition that he would lose to David Rittich. Relegated to the AHL for the entire 2018-19 season, Gillies performed poorly and his NHL trajectory was knocked off course. With that said, he has improved in each of the past two seasons and spent much of last year on the St. Louis taxi squad as the next man up in net. At 27, Gillies still has plenty of tread left on the tires. The Islanders have experience in Schneider and upside in Skarek, but if they truly need a netminder to step in to an NHL role this season, Gillies could be their best bet – especially if he can make the most of his PTO with a strong camp performance.

AHL| Lou Lamoriello| New York Islanders| St. Louis Blues Cory Schneider| Ilya Sorokin| Jakub Skarek| Jon Gillies| Ken Appleby| Taxi Squad

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New York Islanders Facing Severe Roster Crunch

September 19, 2021 at 11:25 am CDT | by Zach Leach 8 Comments

After a slow summer, the month of September has belonged to GM Lou Lamoriello and the New York Islanders. On September 1, the team announced new contracts for forwards Anthony Beauvillier, Casey Cizikas, and Kyle Palmieri and goaltender Ilya Sorokin. That same day, they hinted that veteran UFA Zach Parise will also be joining the team and have provided even more evidence of that fact since, despite no formal announcement. This week, the team made a flurry of depth signings, adding forwards Andy Andreoff, Cole Bardreau, Otto Koivula, and Dmytro Timashov and defenseman Paul LaDue, while inviting veteran blue liner Erik Gustafsson to training camp. They then capped off the week with Saturday’s high-profile signing of Zdeno Chara. 

This is all well and good on its face, but the reality is that there are only so many roster spots to go around. Interestingly enough, the Islanders should be okay with the salary cap. CapFriendly currently projects the team to be over the cap, but using only $4.48MM of their $6MM in LTIR relief from Johnny Boychuk’s career-ending injury. While this projection does not include the undisclosed terms for Chara and Parise, it is based on a 23-man roster and those veterans are expected to have minimum base salary, incentive-laden contract. However, therein lies the problem. CapFriendly already has New York roster at the maximum 23 players, but that does not include Chara and Parise, nor does it include unsigned restricted free agent Kieffer Bellows. Something has to give.

So who could be on the chopping block? It isn’t a long list. Many of the Islanders’ core players are returning from a run to the semifinals last season and are locked into a roster spot. In fact, the team may have its full group of 12 starting forwards already in place. Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Josh Bailey, Oliver Wahlstrom, Palmieri, Beauvillier, and Parise expect to be in top-nine roles, while one of the league’s best fourth lines of Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin, and Cizikas will stick together as well. On the blue line, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock will man the top pair and Scott Mayfield will be back on the second pair. Young righty Noah Dobson and the veteran lefties, Chara and Andy Greene, are at least locks for a roster spot, if not a starting role. In net, there is no question that Semyon Varlamov and Sorokin will be the NHL tandem.

This leaves three roster spots up for grabs and CapFriendly has five names currently projected for the roster: forwards Ross Johnston, Leo Komarov, and Richard Panik and defensemen Sebastian Aho and the recently-signed LaDue. They don’t expect veteran defenseman Thomas Hickey to crack the roster, but the oft-buried blue liner will have a chance to battle for a spot as well. There is also the unsigned Bellows to consider, as well as the potential for Gustafsson’s PTO to be successful. A top prospect like forward Simon Holmstrom or defensemen Robin Salo, Bode Wilde, or Samuel Bolduc may also force the Isles’ hand. While excellent depth is a good problem to have, the issue for the Islanders is that all of these players (minus the prospects) are not waivers-exempt. They have seven or eight good veteran players to evaluate for three roster spots and no guarantee that the four or five that do not make the cut will not be lost on waiver.

Bellows, especially, is a risk. Assuming the 23-year-old is eventually signed, the Islanders will be tempting fate if they try to sneak him through waivers. A 2016 first-round pick, Bellows NHL action has been limited, but the noted sniper does have five goals in his 22 games. A number of teams would be willing to take a shot on his scoring potential. Johnston and Komarov have cleared waivers in the past, but both are now in the final years of their current contracts making them more attractive on waivers. Johnston is a strong defensive forward and physical presence and Komarov is a streaky, but effective two-way presence; both of which have value. Komarov’s $3MM cap hit could make him the most likely to clear waivers though. Panik, who was just acquired by the Islanders this summer, has more recent scoring results than any of the other names competing for a forward spot and has half of his salary retained, making him another dangerous waiver exposure even with two years on his current contract. Of the three available roster spots, no more than two are likely to go to the forward position, so at least two of these forwards will either need to be tested on waivers – and potentially lost for free – or otherwise traded.

The situation on defense is slightly easier to manage. Aho, LaDue, and Hickey have all cleared waivers recently. In fact, LaDue spent all of last season in the AHL and is not much of a risk to be claimed on waivers. There is some more concern with Aho, 25, and Hickey, whose $2.5MM salary is more palatable to other teams in his final year. Both spent all of last season with the Islanders, but for both to do so again it would mean sacrificing one of the aforementioned forwards who are on the chopping block. If Gustafsson does earn a contract with New York from his PTO, that would likely mean that he is earning a roster spot, as the power play specialist would draw interest from a number of teams at a minimum salary, especially with a strong preseason performance.

While it has seemed like the Islanders have been loading up in recent weeks, Lamoriello still has some work to do. Lamoriello may need to explore the trade market for Bellows if he cannot re-sign him or cannot commit to a roster spot for the high-ceiling forward. He may then need to test the trade waters for several of his other players as well, lest he lose them on waivers for nothing. One way or another, as strong as the Islanders’ depth looks right now, it is highly unlikely that all of these players will still be with the organization when the season begins. Which are retained and which are lost could come back to play a big role in the team’s success this season.

Lou Lamoriello| New York Islanders| Waivers Adam Pelech| Anders Lee| Andy Andreoff| Andy Greene| Anthony Beauvillier| Bode Wilde| Brock Nelson| Cal Clutterbuck| Casey Cizikas| Erik Gustafsson| Ilya Sorokin| Jean-Gabriel Pageau| Johnny Boychuk| Josh Bailey| Kieffer Bellows| Kyle Palmieri| Leo Komarov| Mathew Barzal| Matt Martin| Noah Dobson| Oliver Wahlstrom| Otto Koivula| Paul Ladue| Salary Cap

8 comments

New York Islanders Sign Four Players

September 1, 2021 at 9:59 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 15 Comments

The New York Islanders have officially announced multi-year contracts for Anthony Beauvillier, Casey Cizikas, Kyle Palmieri, and Ilya Sorokin. Though they have not released any further information, some details had been previously reported. The deals are expected to be:

  • Beauvillier – 3 years, $4.15MM AAV
  • Cizikas – 6 years, $2.5MM AAV
  • Palmieri – 4 years, $5.0MM AAV
  • Sorokin – 3 years, $4.0MM AAV

Beauvillier, 24, already has five full seasons under his belt in the NHL after being the 28th overall pick in 2015.  During that time he has been one of the team’s most consistent offensive producers, racking up at least 15 goals and 28 points in each of the last four seasons. This year those totals were hit in just 47 games, giving him a strong 26-goal pace over a full 82-game season. While those numbers don’t jump off the page, in an Islanders system that suppresses scoring on both sides, it represents a very important player.

In fact, Beauvillier was fourth on the team in goals this season and one of the players ahead of him, Jordan Eberle, is now a member of the Seattle Kraken. That means there will likely be even more offensive opportunities for Beauvillier moving forward, especially with a new $4.15MM cap hit in place. That number moved him into sixth among forwards on the New York roster until Palmieri trumped it with his $5MM AAV.

For Cizikas, 30, a six-year deal essentially buys out the rest of his career, given the physical, in-your-face style that he brings to the rink every night. That kind of play is exactly why he fits so well in the bottom of the Islanders lineup, but it’s also not likely he could have secured that term elsewhere. The simple fact is that Cizikas can’t really play up in a lineup, but that doesn’t matter in New York where he is an essential part of their four-line structure. He’s relied on for important faceoffs and gets pummeled with defensive zone starts, given one of the hardest deployments in the entire league. All of that leads to poor overall possession numbers and just a handful of points every year, but there’s no doubt that the Islanders value him just as much as anyone else on their team.

Palmieri meanwhile is the newest member of the group, having only made his Islanders debut in April. He played 17 games down the stretch for the team after a midseason trade from the New Jersey Devils, and scored just two goals. It looked like that trade may have been a mistake until the moment the Islanders took the ice in the postseason, where Palmieri showed up and scored seven goals in 19 games. There’s obviously a history between the 30-year-old forward and New York GM Lou Lamoriello, who originally traded for him in New Jersey, and this new deal secures the last big payday of Palmieri’s career.

Overall, he is coming off his worst offensive season in some time, having scored just ten goals and 21 points in 51 games. Those numbers are a far cry from the consistent 25-30 goal man he had been over the previous five seasons, and it’s that production that the Islanders are hoping to return. The thing about Palmieri, like basically every other player on the Islanders roster, is that he is also a capable defensive forward that drives possession at both ends of the rink. He fits perfectly into their structure and with a full training camp could very well become one of the team’s most important players next season.

Speaking of important players, the 26-year-old Sorokin was an interesting case to follow this offseason. After a brilliant rookie season that saw him post a .918 save percentage in 22 appearances, he could have potentially filed for salary arbitration as an RFA. When he didn’t, there was technically a possibility he could sign an offer sheet somewhere else, though that speculation was misguided from the start. A deal with the Islanders was likely signed some time ago, and Sorokin will now be locked up for three years at a reasonable amount. While he has just a handful of NHL starts under his belt, there’s a much larger body of work to rely on when evaluating the 6’3″ netminder.

Selected in the third round in 2014, Sorokin stayed in Russia until 2020, playing season after season in the KHL. In fact, he completed seven full years at the professional level there, starting as a teenager and quickly becoming one of the league’s most dominant goaltenders. There is little doubt that he can be a starting-level option in the NHL, which he proved once again with seven games in the postseason. Sorokin posted a .922 in those playoff appearances, a number he’ll likely add to as this contract progresses.

At $4MM though, he actually still comes in below partner and friend Semyon Varlamov who will continue to take some of the load. The Islanders will be spending $9MM combined on their goaltending tandem, but it should be one of the best in the league.

Even with all of these new deals in place, the Islanders are expected to have more up their sleeves. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac for instance have also been linked to the team, though it’s a complete guess as to when they would potentially announce those deals, if signed.

Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweeted details on each contract. 

New York Islanders| Newsstand| Transactions Anthony Beauvillier| Casey Cizikas| Ilya Sorokin| Kyle Palmieri

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