It took the New York Islanders a long time to get Kirill Petrov to North America.
And now, it sounds like he might be leaving.
Per sources of Newsday’s Arthur Staple, Petrov -- who signed a one-year deal with the Isles this summer -- is contemplating leaving the club’s AHL affiliate in Bridgeport for a return to his native Russia.
Petrov, 25, was taken by the Isles in the third round of the 2008 draft, then spent several years playing for KHL club AK Bars Kazan before jumping the pond in July.
He stuck with the Isles throughout all of training camp and the preseason, ending up one of the last cuts prior to the start of the year. At 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds, he’s an intriguing physical specimen, and did impress at times during the exhibition campaign.
Still, it wasn’t enough to make the Isles, who sent him to the American League in early October. Petrov’s time in Bridgeport was derailed by a broken right foot -- which cost him six weeks.
All told, he has five points in 12 games.