The New York Islanders have cut ties with Jaroslav Halak and you’re damn right it was personal.
The Islanders announced the stunning move on Friday.
#Isles Transaction: Jaroslav Halak has been placed on waivers.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 30, 2016
“You’re always evaluating your team, it doesn’t matter what position,” Snow said after practice Friday at MTS Centre, where the Islanders play the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. “You help the team any way you can to maybe get a boost of confidence, build some momentum and win some hockey games.
It’s a strange move for a variety of reasons.
Halak hasn’t been sharp this season, with a 6-8-5 record, a 3.23 GAA and a .904 save percentage, but, all those numbers came in front of a porous Islanders defense. The 31-year-old carried the load in New York when healthy, and often put up solid, starting-worthy numbers.
But, the Islanders being the Islanders, fumbled the situation badly. Instead of giving the 1A and 1B job to Halak and the capable Thomas Greiss, they opted to keep three goaltenders on their roster, as Jean-Francois Berube took up a roster spot behind the duo. Berube’s inclusion was bizarre, as not only did it prevent additional skating depth, but it made for an awkward situation between the pipes. Very bizarre, considering Berube is an AHL-caliber goalie who’s shown no reason why he’s worth keeping over Halak. Halak, at worst is a backup goalie in the NHL.
Halak’s agent blasted the organization in October for carrying three goalies and the Czech netminder was put on the trading block. Snow obviously wasn’t happy with that and finally decided to cut the chord, despite Halak being under contract for $4.5 million next season. It’s petty and foolish.
Eating all of Halak’s salary is extremely wasteful, especially considering a team like Los Angeles or Dallas would surely take on the league minimum for Halak’s services. It’s poor asset management – even if Halak wasn’t a prized trade target. Now, the Isles are stuck with Greiss (who’s never been a full-time starter) and Berube. Good luck.
