Long a volatile market where NHL teams have gambled to land the occasional star, the New York Islanders have gambled in Russia...and lost.
The news of Kirill Petrov deciding to go back to Russia was disheartening for Islanders fans, but nothing new for the team's history with such players. From 2000 to 2010 the Islanders drafted at least one Russian-league player eight times. None of those players made any sort of impact in the NHL. Not only that, but only a single one of those Russian draftees ever played a game in the NHL.