Islanders Goalie Has No Plans to Leave

The New York Islanders have already undergone a bit of change this offseason, but rumors of more turnover continue to spread. Among the speculation was a trade rumor involving star goalie Ilya Sorokin.

Insider Frank Seravalli stoked the initial flames of a Sorokin trade discussion, but the Russian netminder denied that the Islanders were having any conversations of the sort. Sorokin told RG that he was not shocked at the false reporting.

“I wasn’t surprised by the rumors — it’s part of the business,” Sorokin told RG. “What did surprise me, though, was how seriously people took them, even though everyone knows I have a no-trade clause.”

Thanks to that no-trade clause, any trade involving Sorokin would have to be approved by the player. Sorokin has no plans to leave Long Island any time soon and wants to lead the Islanders back to glory.

Sorokin's agent, Dan Milstein even took the time to deny any sort of trade rumors surrounding his star client.

"Ilya Sorokin has a full no-trade clause and has never been part of any trade discussions — not at any point," Milstein said in a tweet. "Surprised this needs correcting, but here we are. There’s a difference between reporting facts and creating buzz around yourself."

Sorokin is set to kick off the second year of an eight-year contract he signed in 2023. At $8.25 million annually, Sorokin showed just how committed he is to the Islanders with a full no-move clause through 2027-28. The clause changes to a modified 16-team no-trade clause in 2028.

Any talk of the Islanders looking to move on from their star netminder is unfounded as both parties are looking forward to a bright future.

In 253 career games in the NHL, all with the Islanders, Sorokin has a 125-89-36 record with a .916 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average. He’s notched 22 shutouts in his career and routinely receives a fair amount of Vezina Trophy votes every season. He finished as the runner-up for the Vezina in 2022-23.

The Islanders have a bright future ahead of them, and Sorokin plans on being a huge piece of their success.