BY ALIN MATEESCU – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
With the NHL and NHLPA reaching an agreement in principle on a new CBA, it is now time to examine each team’s roster as they head into a likely 48 game season. Here is my look at the New York Islanders and the possible questions facing their roster, their cap space, their unrestricted free agents and their restricted free agents. Salary cap and cap space provided by capgeek.com.
Salary Cap: $50,215,746 (29)
Cap Space: $19,984,254
Players Signed: 22
UFA: D – Mark Eaton, LW – Jay Pandolfo, C – Trevor Frischmon, C – Yannick Riendeau, C – Jeremy Colliton, G – John Grahame
RFA: none
If the New York Islanders have any chance to improve this shortened seasons, it will have to come from players already on their roster.
After losing third-leading point getter PA Parenteau to the Colorado Avalanche, they did very little to improve over the summer, only signing defenceman Matt Carkner as a free agent and trading for Anaheim Ducks blueliner Lubomir Visnovsky.
Carkner will bring some much needed toughness to the Islanders blueline, but there’s a chance Visnovsky will not suit up for the club at all. Visnovsky wasn’t thrilled with being traded from the Ducks to the Islanders, and has stated he wants to remain with his current KHL team in Slovakia. Aside from what he brings on the ice, the veteran defenceman would be a perfect fit for the a low-budget team like the Isles because he is set to earn $3 million next season but his cap hit is $5.6 million.
While the NHL may find a way to prevent Visnovsky from continue playing in the KHL once the new CBA is ratified, the possibility remains he may not report to the Islanders and/or ask for a trade out of New York.
Alin Mateescu is a full-time Front-end Web Developer with a passion for Online Marketing, Digital Media, and Web Development. Web Strategist. Sports junkie. Creator of iTalkHockey blog network. Managing Editor at RumorMeThis.com and RumorMeThat.com. Find out more about me at about.me/alinmat
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