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Report: Goalie Ilya Sorokin seems set to sign with Islanders

Islanders Sorokin

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 19, 2019: CSKA Moscow’s goaltender Ilya Sorokin makes a save in the 2019/20 KHL Regular Season ice hockey match between CSKA Moscow and Admiral Vladivostok at CSKA Arena. Mikhail Aleksandrov/TASS (Photo by Mikhail AleksandrovTASS via Getty Images)

Mikhail Aleksandrov/TASS

Some promising and potentially exciting news for New York Islanders fans on Sunday as prized goalie Ilya Sorokin finally seems set to sign with the team later this month.

According to a report from Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko on Sunday, the 24-year-old Sorokin has refused to sign a contract extension with KHL team, CSKA Moscow, and will instead sign with the Islanders when his current contract expires on April 30.

Sorokin’s arrival is something the Islanders and their fans have been anticipating for quite some time.

Originally a third-round pick (No. 78 overall) in the 2014 draft, Sorokin has spent the past six years as the KHL’s most dominant goalie and has been one of the best goalies in the world outside of the NHL. It has just been a matter of getting him to North America to see what he can do in the world’s best hockey league. In his six years with CSKA he never finished with a save percentage below .929 and has been nearly unbeatable.

Goaltending has been the driving force behind the Islanders’ success the past year-and-a-half, and Sorokin could potentially add to that strength.

They do still have Semyon Varlamov signed for another three years beyond this season at a salary cap hit of $5 million per season.

Thomas Greiss is an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Sorokin is good friends with New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, another of the league’s up-and-coming players. Both of them playing in the same city could add yet another interesting dynamic to one of the league’s fiercest rivalries.

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.