NEW YORK (AP) -- An Islanders team official confirmed that the team will buy out the remaining eight years of oft-injured goalie Rick DiPietro's contract.
Monday 1 July 2013
Rick DiPietro getting Islanders buyout, $1.5 million through 2029
Rick DiPietro was the No. 1 overall selection by the New York Islanders at the 2000 NHL Draft by general manager Mike Milbury. He entered the league with plenty of promise, but injuries derailed all that, and his long, strange NHL journey on Long Island will end this week as he becomes the teams' first compliance buyout.
From Arthur Staple of Newsday:
General manager Garth Snow, who informed DiPietro of the buyout Monday night, told Newsday: "It is an extremely tough decision to use the compliance buyout on Rick's contract. His drive to win games and compete at the highest level for the New York Islanders was never questioned. With Rick back at 100 percent health, we wish him nothing but the best as he continues to pursue his career."
Over the last five seasons, injuries held DiPietro to just 50 games in goal. In February, the Islanders decided to place him on waivers with the intention of sending him to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. In 18 games with the Sound Tigers, DiPietro was 9-9-0, with a 2.93 goal against average and .893 save percentage.
As part of the buyout, DiPietro will receive $1.5 million annually for the next 16 years. The money will not count against the Islanders' salary cap. Entering the opening of free agency on July 5, the Islanders have just over $8 million to reach the cap floor and have a little over $29 million to the ceiling, according to CapGeek.
The 31-year old DiPietro will be most remembered for the record 15-year, $67.5 million deal he signed in 2006. For as crazy of a contract as it was, it was the first of the super long-term contracts signed by numerous players between 2006 and 2012. You might call DiPietro a trendsetter in that regard. But as NHL owners, like DiPietro's good friend Charles Wang, found out, committing all that term and all those dollars to players isn't the wisest of decisions.
Will some NHL team take DiPietro on as a cheap reclamation project? There's a chance some GM will be brave enough to say "I can fix him." There's always one of those in the NHL.
Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
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Tim Thomas exploring NHL return as free agent; Flyers likely destination?
Tim Thomas’s agent Bill Zito revealed on Monday that the former Boston Bruins netminder has instructed him to “explore” his options for a comeback next season.
The New York Islanders had the option to “toll” his contract after acquiring Thomas’s cap space from the Bruins in February, but have long said they don’t plan on taking the option.
This means Thomas will be an unrestricted free agent on July 5, which means he rockets to the top of a crowded field of goaltending options for teams in need of a short-term solution.
Look, there are only two reasons to be weary of Tim Thomas: The backlash against his personal beliefs and the fact that he’s been in the metaphoric “bunker in Colorado” since Game 7 against the Washington Capitals in April 2012.
The former concern is something that could be defused through a training camp of probing questions from the local media and fan reaction. If Thomas decides he’s not going to address the issues behind his absence from the NHL, or his split from the Bruins, then it could remain a distraction throughout the season. If he decides to be candid, the case could be closed.
As far as his fitness … one assumes if Zito has the green light to explore options, Thomas believes that at 39 he’s got something left in the tank. Or enough left to earn an NHL salary for another season.
The goalie market in the NHL remains vibrant, even with some players (Mike Smith, Niklas Backstrom, Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider) seeing their futures settled. Thomas joins Ray Emery, Evgeni Nabokov, Jose Theodore and Ilya Bryzgalov as UFAs, with Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak among the goalies under contract that are on the block.
As Pierre LeBrun reports, there are no promises Thomas will be back. But if he does return, the Philadelphia Flyers are immediately the top choice for a Thomas comeback.
They want a goalie to platoon with Steve Mason, and they’ve been after Thomas since the season before the Bruins won the Cup in 2011, when it looked like his days in Boston were numbered.
The big question: What would he cost, and would it be worth it? There aren't many teams still looking for goaltending on the free agent market -- especially not starting goaltending -- so the Flyers probably don't have to fear much of a bidding war. He was paid $5 million per season on his previous contract, and now that he's older and there's more risk coming off of his hiatus, I'd hope that number would go down a bit. What kind of contract length are we talking? I'd be comfortable with a year or two, but given his age, I'm not sure I'd go much higher than that.
Tim Thomas, playing in the city where the Second Continental Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence? Perfect.
Although we'd obviously prefer him as Luongo's backup in Vancouver, where it would be his job to pump Lou's tires ...
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