Kirill Kaprizov, Alexander Romanov and Ilya Sorokin, three of the NHL’s top prospects playing in Russia’s KHL, signed deals with their respective NHL clubs on Monday. There’s only one catch: They won’t be available to play for their teams in this summer’s 24-team reboot.
The Wild (Kaprizov), Canadiens (Romanov) and Islanders (Sorokin) decided to burn a year off their prospect’s eligibility and used a 53-hour window that started Monday to sign their respective draft picks, happy to have them in the building. . Under an agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA, any player who signs a new contract for the 2019-20 season will be able to participate in training camp and travel to the bubble, but will not be able to play in postseason games.
Romanov, a 20-year-old defender, signed the longest deal in three years, meaning he will be on his entry-level contract for Montreal until the 2021-22 season. Romanov was selected in the second round of the Canadiens’ draft in 2018.
Sorokin, the current Gagarin Cup Most Valuable Player, was a third-round pick for the New York Islanders in 2014, and has long been seen as his goalkeeper of the future. The 24-year-old’s contract is for this season only, at which point he will become a restricted free agent.
Kaprizov, 23, a Minnesota fifth-round pick in 2015, landed a two-year contract. Since being selected, three different Wild General Managers (Chuck Fletcher, Paul Fenton and now Bill Guerin) have made trips to Russia to woo the winger. Kaprizov scored the game-winning goal in the 2018 Olympic gold medal game, making him a national hero.
According to his peers, Kaprizov has been largely viewed as the next NHL superstar to come from the KHL, following in the footsteps of New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin.
“I think everyone sees it,” former NHL striker and current KHL striker Nigel Dawes told ESPN in January. “It’s kind of a no-brainer. He’s a great player, he’s already done a lot in his young career. I’m sure he will face some challenges going to North America, but the way he plays the game and the kind of guy he is and his character, I think he will be very successful in the NHL. “
The Wild campaigned for Kaprizov to be immediately eligible, although that was ultimately denied.
“I told my case,” Guerin told the ESPN on Ice podcast last week. “There are things that happen in the league and ongoing negotiations in the league, and decisions are made there that are made for a reason. When they do, you don’t have to like it, but you have to support it. We’ll take care of it … It’s Disappointing that we don’t have it available to us, but in the big picture we will eventually get him signed and he will be part of our team and we will be very happy about that. “
Sorokin will have to compete for the initial job with the islanders, as compatriot Semyon Varlamov is signed during the 2022-23 season. In an interview with ESPN in January, Sorokin said he met Varlamov three years ago and called him “a great guy and a great athlete.”
Sorokin is also good friends with rookie rookie goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin, a relationship that could set an interesting dynamic in New York’s hockey rivalry for years to come.
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