Déjà vu for Isles and Poulin

The New York Islanders find themselves in an all too familiar situation: their goalie of the future has suffered a recurring injury. Years after the fact, the team is still waiting for Rick DiPietro to return to 100% from a smorgasbord of ailments. Now, all the organization can do is hope that Kevin Poulin can avoid going down the same path.

Poulin was injured Tuesday night in pregame warm-ups when his left skate got caught in a rut, forcing him to twist his body and fall awkwardly to the ice. The 20 year-old, unable to put any weight on his left leg, had to be helped to the locker room for further evaluation. Click here to see the video. An MRI Wednesday revealed a dislocated left knee cap that would require surgery, consequently ending the rookie's first professional season.

Katie Strang, via reader Tom Meehan, reported Friday morning that this is not the first time Poulin has dislocated his left knee cap (also known as the patella). While playing junior hockey in the QMJHL, the goalie suffered the same injury playing soccer in a pregame warm-up. Poulin rehabbed the injury, and did not undergo surgery at that time.

Ryan Shulman, of sportsinjurybulletin.com, takes a look at the general injury and why there is a growing trend of undergoing surgery as treatment.

"Athletes who wish to return to sport early and whose functional demands are high, may require early surgical management. MPFL reconstruction using hamstring grafts and repair of VMO and retinacular structures can have most athletes back to training at four to six months, assuming no osteochondral damage." 

That timetable would have Poulin ready just in time for training camp; however, the severity of the dislocation may not be fully realized until the surgery is underway. The fact that he has now suffered a second dislocation complicates matters and furthers the need for the operation.

"In the case of chronic repeat dislocations, the main purpose of surgery is to address the underlying cause of symptoms. Trochlear dysplasia (malformation) can be treated by reconstruction."

As we await more information, the team is on track to make history. Once recent acquisition Al Montoya plays, a franchise record six goalies will be used in one season. In addition, it would bring the total number of goalies to have played for the Isles since DiPietro signed his 15-year contract to 11. For those who did not know, or chose to forget, that mega (bust) deal was signed in September of 2006.