At 3:15 p.m. on Feb. 21, Darren Dreger, one of TSN and hockey’s most respected analysts, tweeted out that the Islanders had traded goalie Ilya Sorokin to the Blackhawks. Although the return was not listed, Islanders fans still voiced their anger on the trade.

Sources say the Islanders have traded Ilya Sorokin’s rights to Chicago.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 21, 2020

However, just 11 minutes later, Dreger tweeted that Sorokin was not traded and the rumors were false.

Sorokin has not been traded to Chicago. Despite the fact his teammates and others in Moscow believed to this be the case. Chicago sources have confirmed no trade. My mistake.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 21, 2020

This is a very rare occurrence for someone of Dreger’s stature. Despite the rumors of the trade being fake, it leads many Islander fans to wonder if trading Sorokin this offseason is a good idea?
PROS
If the Islanders are to trade Sorokin, the return would certainly boost the Islanders in more ways then one. The Islanders have had a huge problem scoring goals in their last four games and a player like Sorokin could most definitely bring in a goal scorer that would immediately help the Islanders for the long-term future.
On top of that, rumors have been floating around for the last few months that Sorokin could actually resign with his KHL team, CSKA Moscow, for a record-setting contract that would make him most likely the highest-paid player in the KHL. If that seems like a risk that the Islanders are not willing to take, then trading him for value could be better then waiting forever.

A trade is highly unlikely. Sorokin will most likely come to the NHL, so the Islanders will only trade him if they sense things are about to go wrong this offseason.
CONS
For Sorokin, the pros of trading him do not outweigh the cons. Sorokin right now is ranked at the top of the list of current NHL goalie prospects and the Islanders would be foolish to move him without giving him a chance to show if he can truly live up to the hype. 
Sorokin, 24, has put up outstanding numbers over the course of his KHL career. Since joining CSKA Moscow in 2014, Sorokin never had a season in which he had a goals-against average over two, which is phenomenal. Sorokin also has not lost more than 10 games in a season since joining the team in 2014. Saying that Sorokin has the potential to be a superstar goalie would be an understatement.
And judging off the success of recent KHL goalies to come over such as Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Samsonov, Sorokin should enjoy the same amount of success as his fellow countrymen when he comes to the NHL. In fact, prior to the start of the season, many hockey analysts ranked Sorokin higher than both Samsonov.
FINAL VERDICT
The Islanders have absolutely no reason to trade Sorokin and should bring him to the NHL next season. With Thomas Greiss’ NHL contract and Sorokin’s KHL contract both set to expire at the end of the season, the time is now to finally bring Sorokin to the NHL.

Sorokin can either start in Bridgeport and work his way up to the NHL or can begin the season on the roster serving as Varlamov’s backup, but I doubt it will be long before Sorokin takes the starting spot and runs with it. The AHL is just as unlikely as a trade.
So as long as the Islanders hang on to Sorokin, it could be Sorokin time very soon!