Islanders News: Toews me, bro; Call me back, Ilya

Happy Independence Day/Fourth of July to the Americans among you. In the U.S. we don’t celebrate with something cool like an NHL free agent frenzy; instead we just blow crap up, or more safely watch others blow crap up.

In between fuses, some Islanders reading:

• So this is what’ll pass for news at the moment: Isles prospect Ilya Sorokin has reworked his KHL contract with CSKA Moscow to extend through 2020. [LHH]
• The Isles shower a bit of love on Devon Toews, an intriguing blueline prospect who made the AHL all-rookie team. Normally I’d be all “big deal, it’s prospect camp,” but Toews was good in college, good last year in the AHL, and at an age (23) where he could be ready soon. [Isles]
• A case against Jagr (which is just academic, since you know the Isles won’t go there). [Eyes on Isles]

Elsewhere

• Alexander Radulov chose Dallas. The Canadiens or someone leaked word that they offered an equivalent deal, but Radulov said that was only after he’d already agreed to terms with the Stars. [Defending Big D]
• The Flyers lost defenseman Roman Lyubimov to a three-year KHL deal with Sorokin’s team, CSKA Moscow. [Broad Street Hockey]
• Andrei Markov is acting as his own agent, and apparently talking with the Flyers. Will he discover no one wants to guarantee him what he was asking from the Canadiens? [SB Nation]
• Marcus Kruger, a Chicago cap casualty sent to Las Vegas for future considerations, may be flipped to the Hurricanes. [Canes Country]
• Great read with illustration on modern defensemen and puck carrying, using illustrations and data from the playoffs. [Sportsnet]
• Remember how Columbus was in “advancing” discussions with the Avalanche over Matt Duchene? Well, yeah, they’re going to chill too after not finding agreement. Maybe later. [Dispatch]
• The Capitals went all in for a championship run and fell short. Now they have that Blackhawks-style salary cap hangover, except without the ring to show for it. [Wash. Post | Puck Daddy]
• A look at some of the underrated skills some big free agent signings bring to their teams. [NHL]
• And a good rundown of the free agency picture, with Jaromir Jagr still out there. [AP]