Proposal: NYI - NJ

[Stephen Gionta]

Take out Casey and the 2025 1st, and it’s pretty close to fair value. Still favours NYI slightly though, but maybe the Devils do it to get a #1 goalie.

The proposal as it is in the OP is ridiculous though.

NJ has to slightly overpay to get the Islanders to trade Sorokin in division

Why are Islander fans so upset about this proposal? I'm a Rangers fan, def don't want to see either team improve, but this is absolutely an overpayment from Jersey. This should probably get done for the 10th OA and a conditional 2025 1st.

Sorokin I think is great and will bounce back, but the Islanders' window does not match Sorokin's. They have absolutely no need for a 29 year old goalie with 8 more years on an $8.5m AAV deal. And if Sorokin doesn't bounce back, this is quickly going to become one of the crappier deals in the league.

Isles need to rebuild, and Jersey needs elite goaltending. They are logical trade partners for Sorokin.

Agreed. The reason it's an overpayment is because that is likely what it would take to get the Islanders to trade Sorokin to a Metro division team.

 

[seabass45]

Why are Islander fans so upset about this proposal? I'm a Rangers fan, def don't want to see either team improve, but this is absolutely an overpayment from Jersey. This should probably get done for the 10th OA and a conditional 2025 1st.

Sorokin I think is great and will bounce back, but the Islanders' window does not match Sorokin's. They have absolutely no need for a 29 year old goalie with 8 more years on an $8.5m AAV deal. And if Sorokin doesn't bounce back, this is quickly going to become one of the crappier deals in the league.

Isles need to rebuild, and Jersey needs elite goaltending. They are logical trade partners for Sorokin.

Because we're not doing a rebuild and despite what OP claims, Varlamov isn't the starter. Sorokin didn't have a great year but the expectation is that, like you say, he'll bounce back. There's no point to discussing this and certainly no point in creating at least four proposal threads (that I know of) about Sorokin, one of which just got locked yesterday.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Because we're not doing a rebuild and despite what OP claims, Varlamov isn't the starter. Sorokin didn't have a great year but the expectation is that, like you say, he'll bounce back. There's no point to discussing this and certainly no point in creating at least four proposal threads (that I know of) about Sorokin, one of which just got locked yesterday.

Objection - unrightfully locked.

 

[n8]

Are you going to post a new one every day until a mod locks your account?

Objection - unrightfully locked.

fight the man

 

[seabass45]

Objection - unrightfully locked.

Take it up with the judge.

 

[KingDeathMetal]

Because we're not doing a rebuild and despite what OP claims, Varlamov isn't the starter. Sorokin didn't have a great year but the expectation is that, like you say, he'll bounce back. There's no point to discussing this and certainly no point in creating at least four proposal threads (that I know of) about Sorokin, one of which just got locked yesterday.

It's just perplexing to me that the Islanders aren't undergoing a rebuild. I get that Sorokin is now the face of the team and it's hard to move off that, but his window and theirs just don't match.

 

[seabass45]

It's just perplexing to me that the Islanders aren't undergoing a rebuild. I get that Sorokin is now the face of the team and it's hard to move off that, but his window and theirs just don't match.

The case is that they made the playoffs with below-average goaltending and a defense that was beaten down, if Sorokin gets back to where he was prior to last year and they get a full year with Roy's system then they can make a run. I don't know if I buy it but it's pretty clear that's the direction they're going.

 

[HBK27]

It's just perplexing to me that the Islanders aren't undergoing a rebuild. I get that Sorokin is now the face of the team and it's hard to move off that, but his window and theirs just don't match.

The Islanders have made the playoffs 5 of the past 6 seasons and had the most points in the East among non-playoff teams the one season they missed. Their core players of Barzal, Horvat, Pulock, Pelech & Sorokin are all between 27-29 and locked-up long-term with various forms of trade protection.

Yes, they've been knocked out in the 1st round two seasons running now but this isn't a team that you just blow-up and start a long, painful rebuild.

They're going to do their best to be competitive at least the next 3-5 seasons and hope they get at least one or two long playoff runs in there somewhere.

 

[BrockLobster]

Nah. We are good.

And link To Varlamov being "the guy"?

 

[mm11]

Isles and Roy will be hungry next year and will play with a collective chip all year backed by an world goalie with something to prove. They will compete for the division title. Lou ain't rebuilding now

 

[KingDeathMetal]

The Islanders have made the playoffs 5 of the past 6 seasons and had the most points in the East among non-playoff teams the one season they missed. Their core players of Barzal, Horvat, Pulock, Pelech & Sorokin are all between 27-29 and locked-up long-term with various forms of trade protection.

Yes, they've been knocked out in the 1st round two seasons running now but this isn't a team that you just blow-up and start a long, painful rebuild.

They're going to do their best to be competitive at least the next 3-5 seasons and hope they get at least one or two long playoff runs in there somewhere.

You can't compare this year's team to the team they had five years ago. This year's team barely made the playoffs, and if Sorokin is dominant they maybe, maybe push a top team to 7 games in the first round, or get a surprise upset.

Their roster just isn't good enough to realistically be more than a scrappy first round exit, and realistically it's not good enough to make the playoffs most seasons. They aren't a piece or two away from being anything more than that. And that's with a goaltender and a top center pushing 30.

It'd be one thing if they were a top free agent destination or had a top farm system that was producing guys who could come up and make the team more competitive over the next three years, or could be used as trade chips to land big time players, but that isn't the case.

So where does that take this franchise 3-5 years down the road? Treading water on competitiveness and goaltending, a couple playoff appearances at best, and then a huge cliff where they drop off without having much of a farm system to rely on.

It just doesn't make any sense that the Islanders wouldn't entertain offers on Sorokin. Especially if a team is willing to get him at a premium despite a couple of disappointing seasons.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Dobson is 24, and Sorokin is almost 3 years older than Barzal. Bit of a difference between trading an almost 30 year old goaltender vs the other two, though there is a good case for trading Barzal too.

Look, that core isn't good enough to do anything but maybe squeeze the Islanders into an 8th seed. At the same time, the Islanders have one of the weakest farm systems in the league. Keeping Sorokin is basically choosing to be mediocre to less than mediocre for a few years, at the cost of a serious drop off, instead of just ripping off the bandage now, being bad for 2-3 years and building the team into something that can be viable down the road.

Lou is never rebuilding, that's what you're missing in the whole thing. He did the exact same thing with the 13-15 Devils and the Islanders have way more talent than any of Devils teams did in front of Cory Schneider.

 

[HBK27]

You can't compare this year's team to the team they had five years ago. This year's team barely made the playoffs, and if Sorokin is dominant they maybe, maybe push a top team to 7 games in the first round, or get a surprise upset.

Their roster just isn't good enough to realistically be more than a scrappy first round exit, and realistically it's not good enough to make the playoffs most seasons. They aren't a piece or two away from being anything more than that. And that's with a goaltender and a top center pushing 30.

It'd be one thing if they were a top free agent destination or had a top farm system that was producing guys who could come up and make the team more competitive over the next three years, or could be used as trade chips to land big time players, but that isn't the case.

So where does that take this franchise 3-5 years down the road? Treading water on competitiveness and goaltending, a couple playoff appearances at best, and then a huge cliff where they drop off without having much of a farm system to rely on.

It just doesn't make any sense that the Islanders wouldn't entertain offers on Sorokin. Especially if a team is willing to get him at a premium despite a couple of disappointing seasons.

I didn't make any comparisons between the teams by season - just stated the facts.

I also don't disagree that it will be tough for the Islanders to be much more than a wildcard team these next few seasons. Still, find me any example of a team in a similar situation that pre-emptively blows things up. It just doesn't happen, even if it might be the best thing for the franchise in the long-term.

 

[My3Sons]

How can anyone think Lamoriello is going to trade his franchise goalie? It doesn’t matter what NJ offered. I’m not sure Lou would accept Hughes and Hughes and Hischier in trade for Sorokin. It’s just not how he rolls. Also just openly asking about Sorokin on this trade board means Lou has shut down trade talks.