Report: Islanders close to signing 2008 pick Kirill Petrov to ELC

Here's something you didn't expect to wake up and read on Monday, June 1, 2015: the Islanders have reportedly signed 2008 third round pick Kirill Petrov to an entry level contract.

The news comes from a story in Russian sports business site Sport.business-gazeta.ru that's hilariously mangled via Google Translate. The report sounds as if Petrov, who plays for Ak Bars, couldn't agree to terms on a new contract with St. Petersburg SKA after a trade and has signed with the Islanders instead.

Of course, it also says he was selected by "New Jersey in the NBA draft" so I could totally be reading this thing wrong.

From Sport.business-gazeta.ru:

As it became known "Business Online", 25-year-old striker Kazan "Ak Bars" Kirill Petrov agreed a contract with the NHL club, "New York Islanders."

Guide Kazan club did not go forward with the negotiations forward with St. Petersburg SKA, offer for Petrov 150 million. Rubles. Petrov now travels across the ocean to a standard rookie contract - a two-way version with a fixed payment of $ 850 thousand. Per season for up to one year.

Last season, Petrov played for the "Ak Bars" 47 regular season games, which scored 15 (5 + 10) points with a rating of eight. Another 3 (2 + 1) Petrov scored points in 17 matches at the Gagarin Cup a rating of -1.

The pupil of Kazan hockey played in a total of "Ak Bars" five full seasons (2007-08, 2011-2014), with the team winning the Gagarin Cup 2010. Another season in the CHL (2010-11) spent in hockey, "Ugra" in Khanty-Mansiysk.

"New Jersey" in 2008. Petrov chose the NBA Draft under the 73-set tiebreak.

A later version of the story fleshed out the contract status and trade a little more (and also includes video):

As the " BUSINESS Online ", attacking" Ak Bars " Kirill Petrov agreed a contract with the "New York Islanders." Kazan guide and did not go forward with the negotiations meet with St. Petersburg SKA, has 150 million rubles, and two players for Petrov, but let him go to another league. Forward play goes on standard terms Rookie League - sided version of the contract with a fixed payment of 850 thousand dollars per season for up to one year. The main part will be addressing the issue with the current contract, "Ak Bars" - is not known whether the go Kazan club to terminate the agreement by mutual consent of the parties or will insist on redemption of a hockey player of his contract, as it was in the "Locomotive" in Sergei Plotnikov . However, Petrov is leaving the CHL and again go to the location of the "Islanders".

However incoherent - or possibly inaccurate - these reports are, they're the first smoke signals we've seen from Petrov in quite some time. Petrov was a stab in the dark in the 2008 draft, a talented kid with a longterm KHL contract and personal reasons for staying in Russia. He was joined in the prospect pool two years later by another Kirill - Kirill Kabanov - who came to America right away and dazzled with occasionally flashy skills and a fun personality. Islanders fans started kicking around nicknames for the eventual two Kirills line.

Fast forward a few years and Kabanov is back in Europe, playing for Skellefteå of the SEL after a buyout by the Islanders and a whole lot of unmet goals. And Petrov, once thought the longer shot of the two, is apparently on his way over here.

Petrov's numbers aren't eye-popping; he has 57 goals and 56 assists (113 points) in 262 games in the KHL, all with Ak Bars. His high in points was 29 achieved twice (In 52 games in 2011-12 and 53 games in 13-14). His high in goals was 16 in 2011-12. But what he loses in raw stats he makes up for in experience, having won two Gagarin Cups as KHL champion as a younger player in 2009 and 2010. The 25-year-old has played a ton of playoff games over the last five years. What he'll bring to North America is anyone's guess.

We'd still classify this as a rumor until the Islanders make it official. Newsday's Arthur Staple reports that nothing is imminent, but the sides are talking.

No word from #Isles on whether they've signed F Kirill Petrov, 2008 3rd round pick. Talks ongoing. Petrov, 25, played last 8 yrs in KHL.

— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) June 1, 2015

But for now, there's plenty here to chew on and more than enough to get started on any "Two Kirills" parody songs.