My take: there's two possibilities here: 1. Nabokov is still close to signing 2. The Islanders may have their eyes on someone else for the short term. But at least now, as of this post, the Isles will not be pursuing Luongo. Could that change on draft day, maybe, but not likely. The longer Nabokov goes unsigned, the less likely he is to return. But if the Islanders stick to their plan, then the Poulin/Nilsson combination will be the future of the organization and there may only need to be a short term goaltender for this coming year. If Nilsson has a season worthy of being brought up, then the Isles will not need a starting goalie for more than a year. I also believe that is why DiPietro may not be bought out until next year. DP could at least be a backup to Poulin this year if something happens to the starter. If it's clear Nilsson is ready, DP will be bought out next year.
Update 5:30pm
Well, there goes possibility number one. I'm going to say this now: The draft on Sunday will be interesting. Given that Snow has made trades before draft day, look for something to start by Saturday. If a trade does not work out...we'll worry about that on Monday....
From Joe
Yerdon:
Where does Roberto Luongo go now?
New York Islanders: Rick DiPietro isn’t the answer and Evgeni Nabokov is an elder statesman who looked weak in the playoffs. He’s also a free agent this summer. The Isles also have a disgruntled prospect who reportedly wants out in Nino Niederreiter who would make a great trade chip. The two teams have been linked before, so why not send Lu back to the Island?
My take: Folks, this has more to do with bad contracts than it does the players. In order for a trade to work, DiPietro would have to be involved. Vancouver would have to buy out one of these contracts. On the plus side, I think Luongo would be an upgrade over Nabokov and could get a few more years out of him while the obvious downside is his contract. Forget the money, it's just too long. Anything more than 5 is just too much. The Islanders have to see what they have in Poulin and Nilsson this year, which is why I will say again, I don't think the Islanders HAVE to buy out DP this summer. Signing Nabokov to a one year deal allows the Islanders the flexibility they need to make proper moves either heading into the season or at the trade deadline. If Niederreiter gets his shot at the NHL and makes the club out of camp this year then there is no disgruntled prospect who wants out. He just wants to play in the NHL. He's had a good junior career, made the AHL All-Star team and now is just looking for a chance to prove his worth to the Islanders or anybody else.
Just when I thought this was going to be a quiet, warm day. Well, it still is, but is this certainly news worthy when it's coming from Bob McKenzie. As stated by Bob as well, Rick DiPietro would have to be involved in the deal. Two almost identical contracts, but Loungo has more years. What's the difference? Luongo can help the Islanders now. The Rangers are in a little bit of a mess, Washington's goaltender Brandon Holtby doesn't come close to Luongo, Brodeur is close to retiring and the Islanders just wrecked any kind of confidence out of Marc-Andre Fleury. Will this trade go down? Any other team else steps in? We'll find out.
