Isles choose to keep Nabokov for 2011-2012 season

by greg5897 on Apr 25, 2011 4:23 PM CDT

From ESPN, the Isles have kept Nabokov but seem to be leaning towards trading him at the end of the playoffs. Full article after the jump

The New York Islanders will toll Evgeni Nabokov's one-year, $570,000 contract, retaining the disgruntled goalie's rights for the 2011-12 season, GM Garth Snow told Newsday on Friday.

"He was signed by Detroit, put on waivers," Snow told Newsday. "We claimed him and he didn't report. Therefore, we had to suspend him and it's within our right to toll the contract."

Snow told Newsday that the team hadn't filed the request yet, but according to the paper, the Islanders have until July 1 to officially file with the league.

Both Nabokov's agent and NHL deputy commissioner told Newsday they were aware of the Islanders' plans.

Nabokov signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings in January after spending part of the season with SKA St. Petersburg of the Russian KHL.

However, the NHL's collective bargaining agreement states that anyone who plays in a professional league before signing an NHL contract must clear waivers.

Once he signed his one-year deal with the Red Wings, he became available to the Islanders.

When Nabokov refused to report to the Islanders, the team suspended him.

With three goalies in tow for the '11-12 season, the move would allow the Islanders to finally trade Nabokov. After the suspension, the team was unable to move him until the season ended.

"If we were to entertain something like that it would be after the playoffs," Snow told Newsday. "The phase we're in right now is that we just finished up our exit meetings and we have to go through scouts meeting and look at any avenue to make the team better."

In order to keep the former San Jose Shark active, the Islanders gave Nabokov permission to play for Russia in this year's world championships. However, a source told Newsday that the team did so only with Nabokov's written assurance that he would not file a grievance with the NHLPA over the extension of the contract.

Link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nhl/news/story?id=6411652&campaign=rss&source=NHLHeadlines

Would you want the Wings to try and trade for Nabby to be our backup or would you rather go after someone else?

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At this point with Nabokov

I don’t know what he would be worth in trade. His contract is tiny, but I’m not sure I’d even want to give up a 6th-rounder for him.

I know that a lot of people blame the Islanders for pulling this move (and also that I’m not among them, as they were within their rights and rules to go after a guy with so much potential at a bargain price), but the way Nabokov has handled this situation has made me severely worry about whether he could buy into the Red Wings’ organization.

I’m also not trying to think about what it means that Chris Osgood wants to come back for another year.

by J.J. from Kansas on Apr 25, 2011 4:31 PM CDT reply actions

I agree

And I think if Ozzie wants to come back, we might give him a contract.

Go for it

by DetroitSports on Apr 25, 2011 4:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Look at it this way

If Ozzie comes back, he’ll earn more points for us than Joey Mac will as the backup. If Ozzie’s porcelain groin explodes in his pants partway through the season, then we call the Isles and see what the rental fee will be.

Think about how stupid the average person is, and then realize that half of them are even stupider! --George Carlin

by J_Stone on Apr 25, 2011 6:59 PM CDT up reply actions

If Ozzie..

wants to play another year and has a great training camp healed and in shape, I think he’d still make a great back up…plus Jimmy seems to still get great benefit from his mentoring.

by wingsluver4ever on Apr 27, 2011 1:52 PM CDT up reply actions

If Ozzy doesn’t play, there’s no way we let him walk away. At least not now. Holland will keep him around as a goalie coach or trainer so that he can continue mentoring Jimmy. Holland has already shown desire to keep long time players with the organization after they retire (Yzerman, Maltby, Chelios, and even Shanny was offered a job). I suspect he will do the same with Ozzy, Draper, and Lidstrom when they go. I doubt Lidstrom will accept the job, though.

by Apocalyptic0n3 on Apr 28, 2011 6:21 AM CDT up reply actions

I don't blame the Isles either

But it’s a stupid fucking rule. Detroit took the trouble to negotiate a contract with him; if another team wanted him I can’t think of anything that would have prevented them from making an offer. I feel bad for Nabby because he obviously wants to play for a contender and has no interest in shitting it up on Long Island.

No Limits.

by arkanfel on Apr 28, 2011 9:53 AM CDT up reply actions

The rule has one very good use

Let’s say some mercurial shitbag (like maybe Peter Forsberg) wanted to rehab his busted foot from the comfort of the Swedish Elite League for an entire regular season with the wink-wink-nudge-nudge agreement with the Avalanche that if they looked like they were going to be in the playoff hunt around the trade deadline, the team would sign him to a contract and he’d come over well-rested from playing against easier competition, but in game shape from actually having played games. Not only would the fans have been robbed of nearly an entire season, but he has the advantage of not having to have gone through the grind of the regular season to get to the playoffs.

What’s worse is that, to fit him on their roster, the Avalanche have to get rid of one of the players who worked hard to even get that team into the position they’re in to welcome that shitbag back from hockey vacation.

Nabokov’s situation isn’t dissimilar enough from this scenario to warrant a change in the rule for me.

by J.J. from Kansas on Apr 28, 2011 10:13 AM CDT up reply actions

I don’t think the rule is bad, but I do think the team should be compensated for negotiations. Maybe take an average of time spent negotiating and travel costs, lawyer costs, etc. of recent signings and then figure out an appropriate dollar figure that a team claiming a recent signing of waivers owes the team that did the negotiating. No cap relation or anything, just a “here’s something for your time and energy” type deal. Just make sure it is a flat rate so that teams don’t spend 6 weeks negotiating between here and Russia just to get some hard cash from an opponent.

by Apocalyptic0n3 on Apr 28, 2011 10:23 AM CDT up reply actions

I would agree with that

In Nabokov’s case, they can take it straight out of his agent’s cut, since he’s the guy who “passed forward” the message that Nabokov would play for whomever took him.

by J.J. from Kansas on Apr 28, 2011 11:27 AM CDT up reply actions

I hate to say it but i don't think Ozzie or Mac should be our back up.

i’m not saying Nabokov should but we need a guy who can start for a extended amount of time. If it was Howard with the groin injury we would be so screwed!!

by Veihl789 on Apr 25, 2011 9:06 PM CDT reply actions

I'd rather have Mac or Ozzie as backup.

Nabokov isn’t a backup. He would be a disgruntled distraction if he played backup to Howard.

by dewman8810 on Apr 26, 2011 3:12 AM CDT reply actions

Am I the only one who sees Joey Mac as a good NHL backup a la Manny Legace? I would prefer if we could get Conklin back for next to nothing, but I am fine with Joey backing up Jimmy. I really do not think we can rely on Ozzy any longer, though.

by Apocalyptic0n3 on Apr 26, 2011 6:37 AM CDT reply actions