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After sitting patiently for about 90 minutes on Saturday morning, the Islanders made a move, trading two picks to the Blackhawks for a fourth rounder, the 95th overall pick.
#Isles acquire No. 95 pick from CHI for pick No. 110 and a 2017 6th rounder.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) June 25, 2016
They then used that pick to take forward Anatoli Golyshev from Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL
With the 95th pick of the 2016 #NHLDraft, the #Isles select forward Anatoli Golyshev.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 25, 2016
Golyshev had 25 goals and 44 points for Avtomobilist last season. He had one goal in six playoff games. He's 21, which is older than just about every other draftee, and is listed as 5'-8," 179 pounds which is pretty damn small.
Welcome to the team, Anatoli Golyshev! #Isles #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/nsxCtIHNkT
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 25, 2016
I won't even pretend to know if Golyshev is a real player or not. Certainly seems like a contributor in a pro league, so that's good. But I do know that the Islanders' record with Russian prospects doesn't bode well for him working out. He signed an extension with Avtomobilist in December that runs until 2019 and with no transfer agreement between the NHL and KHL, he'll either fulfill it or need a buyout to shake loose earlier.
Maybe Golyshev (and, with any luck, super goalie Ilya Sorokin) can turn the tide and pan out as a late round Russian sleeper pick. But as of right now, he's like money in an offshore account: looks impressive but you can't really touch it.