Having Sorokin is a luxury that we simply can't afford plus it would be absolutely INSANE not to take advantage of this ridiculous goalie market. Based on other moves, the Islanders should be able to get quite a return for him instead of him possibly leaving for nothing after the season. I had actually hoped he would have been moved during the Draft and I still think it is in our best interest to do so.
It really isn't only about the cap space (which will only be about 3-3.5 million because we will have to sign a backup) but also to acquire more assets, which would lessen the sting on what we may have to give up to get a difference making forward (Kane, Miller, Tarasenko, etc) should the FA market shrink before it even begins with team re-ups the next week for players like Filip Forsberg and Johnny Gaudreau.
With the strong likelihood that those top two "difference makers" will take their 8-year offers and stay put with the Predators and Flames respectively, for me their are only 3 other guys I would have interest in really and even that doesn't look promising. Love to have Nazem Kadri but not at the insane amount he will likely ask for (and get) after his out of norm monster season- and the other two wing guys I'd be interested in are the Lightning's Ondrej Palat (for all the intangibles he brings) and another Avalanche in Valeri Nichushkin, who I think still has room to grow and is only 27 years old. Off course the two Stanley Cup competing teams are in serious negotiations with both of them and they too may never actually become available. All the other FA forwards available look like the same type of forwards we already have on our roster honestly...and not a difference maker among them.
So with Fiala and DeBrincat already dealt it is looking more and more like this will be the offseason where only by trade can you really get a difference making player; and we all know the Islanders need one. There "could" be 2-3 more available among the rumored half dozen or so.
With 12 million in cap space, we are likely needing that 3 million Varlamov gives us to put us at 15.
Then we would still need to trade Bailey, but maybe now eating a million isn't the end all if it too can net us another asset. Now you are at 19 and you can sign your RFA's (9 million) and it leaves you that flexibility to get that difference making forward as well as likely another veteran LD into your cap...plus remember you should now have those assets (Varly/Josh) to make that trade for said forward, lessening the need to trade our 2023 1st or say Wahlstrom/Raty for instance....
Not sure Josh by himself is going to do it....and it certainly isn't going to do it if you are willing to go double digits for your difference maker (leaving JG and possibly Forsberg out anyway)...
