On the eve of training camp, the Islanders announced three one-year contract agreements with goaltender Cory Schneider, defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, and right-winger Nikita Soshnikov.
Schneider will remain the organization’s third-string goaltender where he’ll start for its minor-league affiliate in Bridgeport. The 36-year-old had previously starred with the Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils before injuries seemingly ended his career.
However, he worked his way back and was called upon in a pinch by the Islanders when they were stricken with COVID amidst a busy schedule, making his first NHL start since the 2019-20 season.
Wotherspoon is a fourth-round pick of the Islanders from 2015, spending each of the last seven seasons in the AHL with Bridgeport. He was the last remaining restricted free agent on the team’s ledger this offseason, which included the likes of other defensemen like Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov.
Soshnikov joins Romanov as an outside acquisition for GM Lou Lamoriello in what had largely been a dormant summer.
The 28-year-old has been playing professionally in the KHL (Russia) with Ufa Salavat Yulayev, CKA Moscow, and Omsk Avangard. He has 39 goals and 51 assists over the last three seasons.
His numbers dropped severely after his initial return to Russia after an unsuccessful run at the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues from 2015-2019. In 2019-20 with Salavat Yulayev, he scored 27 goals with 21 assists in 58 games. Over the next two seasons, he posted just 12 goals with 30 assists.
