The New York Islanders checked one of the major items on their to-do list in the 2023 NHL free agency by locking up netminder Ilya Sorokin to an astounding eight-year extension deal worth $66 million. That's big money for a big-time player the Isles felt they needed to secure the services of for many years to come. Had they not inked Sorokin to an extension, he would enter the 2023-24 NHL season with just a year left under team control. With the Islanders getting the job done on the Sorokin front, it's time to break down the deal and give it a grade.
Grading Ilya Sorokin's contract extension with Islanders
There is not a single doubt about the notion that Ilya Sorokin was among the best goalies last season. Even though he did not win the Vezina Trophy, which went to Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins, one can still make a strong argument that Sorokin was the top netminder during the last NHL campaign. With or without the Vezina Trophy, the Islanders were always going to put a tasty offer on the table for the Russian, who is about to turn 28 years old this coming August.
He is coming off his best season yet in the NHL, posting a 31-22-7 record with a 2.34 GAA and .924 saves percentage across 62 appearances (60 starts).
Among goalies with at least 40 starts last season, Ilya Sorokin ranked inside the top 10 in the following advanced stats: Goals Saved Above Expected (38.7%), Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 (0.647), and Save Percentage Above Expected (0.011).
Sorokin is very much still in his prime. His best days might be in front of him even, and if so, that injects more value into the money the Islanders have already invested in him. Ilya Sorokin's cap hit in the coming season is at $4 million then it rises to $8.25 million from the time his extension kicks in the 2024-25 season to the last year of his new deal in the 2030-31 campaign. That $8 million-plus cap hit will only be the fourth-highest among goalies in 2024-25 — smaller than the cap hits of Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens), Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers), and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning). Sorokin is already better than all of them at this point, but will still be paid less money (AAV-wise) when his extension starts.
With Sorokin, the Islanders can always feel confident in their defense. As the last man on the defense, Sorokin constantly kept New York in the game even when the team's offense was not giving him ample goals to work on in the previous season. The Islanders were just 22nd in the league overall with only 2.95 goals for per game but were fifth in the NHL with 2.65 goals surrendered per contest. In addition to that, New York had the second-best 5-on-5 PDO despite the fact that it's only 12th with a 5-on-5 8.2 percent success rate on its shot attempts. A huge reason for that is — you guessed it — Ilya Sorokin, who greatly helped his team in posting a .931 5-on-5 saves percentage.
The Islanders did the right thing in showing Sorokin the money. There is plenty of work to be done in order for New York to be viewed as an elite Stanley Cup contender, but Sorokin will always give them a chance.
The peace of mind alone of not having to worry about the goalie situation for years to come is almost worth it for New York.
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