A tale of two players

It has not been your average week for the New York Islanders or their fans, although judging by on-ice performance (1-3) things have not changed much. GM Garth Snow did however manage to place a successful waiver claim on goalie Evgeni Nabokov. So all was not lost, or was it?

Nabokov spent parts of 10 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, appearing in 80 playoff games, two All-Star Games, two Winter Olympics, and two World Championships. The Russian net-minder’s contract expired at the end of last season and searched for a new, expensive deal. While easily one of the most accomplished free agents on the market, his high price demands were not met.

Nabokov headed to Russia and signed a four-year $24 million deal with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. He struggled in 22 games before the two sides mutually agreed to a buyout. He returned to America and inked a one-year deal last week with the Detroit Red Wings (a perennial Stanley Cup contender).

Per NHL CBA rules, any player who begins the season overseas has to pass through waivers before returning to the league. Snow put in a claim for three reasons: Nathan Lawson suffered a knee injury, 20 year-old Kevin Poulin would be best served in the AHL, and Rick DiPietro is frequently hurt. The Isles won the claim and the rights to Nabokov’s NHL contract. This is where the soap opera began.

At first, Don Meehan (Nabokov’s agent) said his client would report to any team that claimed him. Once it was announced that his contract belonged to the Islanders, Nabokov decided not to report to the team. Snow tried calling the player but did not have any messages returned. Instead of contacting the team, Nabokov told Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com that he had not received any calls or messages from the Islanders. This prompted an impromptu press conference where Snow claimed he called Nabokov and was hung up on once he identified himself. Meehan called back to apologize and said his client would return the call soon. He never did. Nabokov finally contacted the Islanders after the Snow press conference and the two sides agreed to discuss the situation.

Snow has been unsuccessful in his attempts to convince Nabokov to come Long Island and the team has subsequently suspended him. The Islanders have the option to appeal to the NHL and have the deal “tolled” to next season. This story is far from over.

Now to a feel good story and a player that required no convincing about coming to Long Island, Matt Moulson (also a Meehan client). He played four seasons at Cornell University before signing an entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings. In three years with the organization, Moulson managed to suit up in only 29 NHL contests. The Kings decided not to re-sign the Canadian forward, allowing him to become a free agent.

Snow took a flier on the winger, who emerged as a leading scorer while playing alongside 2009 1^st overall pick John Tavares in pre-season exhibition games. He made the team out of training camp and went on to score 30 goals in 2009-10 (his first full NHL season). As a restricted free agent, the 26 year-old did not have many options. He re-signed with the team for one year at $2.45 million.

Moulson’s strong play continued this season (29 points in 49 games) but uncertainty about his future prevailed. In a growing concern that players do not want to play for this organization (made public by the Nabokov fiasco), some worried if he would return to the team once he became an unrestricted free agent after the season. Snow traded away pending free agents James Wisniewski and Dwayne Roloson, and many worried that Moulson would be the next domino to fall. Allowing an accomplished forward in his prime to leave a rebuilding team would have sent an already irritated fan base into a frenzy.   

Those worries were happily put to rest Thursday when Moulson agreed to a three-year extension worth $9.45 million. Hopefully this move adds credibility to a franchise in desperate need of good press and an improved public image. Moulson stated the following via twitter following the signing: “Extremely excited to have another 3 years with a great organization...I love LI and am honored to be a part of this team”. 

Now that is what a professional athlete should sound like.