The New York Islanders signed star goaltender Ilya Sorokin to an eight-year, $68 million extension on Saturday.
The new deal begins with the 2024-25 season. Sorokin will make $4 million this season.
New York also announced seven-year deals for defenseman Scott Mayfield and forward Pierre Engvall, and a four-year deal for goaltender Semyon Varmalov.
Sorokin, 27, set career highs for starts (60) and wins (31) this season while posting a 2.34 goals-against average. He led the league with six shutouts, was an All-Star selection and finished second for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the NHL’s top goalie.
“You don’t want a player of his stature going into the last year of his contract,” Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said of Sorokin. “I think that creates a lot of pressure on the player. There are a lot of intangible things, from a mental aspect, that this takes away.”
In three seasons with the Islanders, Sorokin has a 70-46-18 record with 16 shutouts, a 2.34 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage in 136 games (133 starts).
Varmalov, 35, went 11-9-2 with two shutouts, a 2.70 GAA and .913 save percentage in 23 games (22 starts). The 2023-24 season will be his fifth with New York and his 16th NHL season.
Mayfield set career bests of six goals, 18 assists and 24 points last season while playing in all 82 games. The 30-year-old has spent his entire nine-year career with the Islanders.
Engvall, 27, had five goals and four assists in 18 games for New York after being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline. Overall, he had a career-best 17 goals last season to go with 13 assists in 76 games.
Lamoriello said the busy day was well worth it.
“The players wanted to come back and then we were just trying to work out a situation that’s fair for both parties,” Lamoriello said. “We’re just extremely pleased that we were able to accomplish it.”
–Field Level Media