Jan. 28, 2011
Not only will Detroit Red Wings fans not be seeing goaltender Evgeni Nabokov anytime soon, apparently no one in the NHL will see him.
After the Wings signed the veteran to a one-year deal, the New York Islanders claimed him on waivers last Saturday.
Nabokov apparently did not jump at the chance to join the Islanders, currently 14th in the Eastern Conference at 15-27-7. Nabokov said he would not report to the team and even hung up on general manager Garth Snow when he called.
So the Islanders suspended him.
"We make the claim, we get the player off waivers, we set up a flight for Sunday morning, set up another flight for Monday morning," Snow told the MSG network. "At that point, my hands were tied. We had to go through with the suspension. I feel it was going to be a good addition to our locker room, with his track record, his winning percentage, his save percentage."
Because Nabokov had played for the KHL in Russia, he had to clear waivers before he could join any NHL team.
The Islanders lost rookie Nathan Lawson to a knee injury, and veteran goalie Rick DiPietro has had well-documented injury issues, which is why they put in the claim for Nabokov.
While Nabokov seemed unwilling to talk to Snow, he did speak with ESPN.com.
"I think I'm going to stay home for now," Nabokov told the website. "I'm sticking with my decision. It's nothing against the Islanders and their organization. It's nothing to do with that. It's just that I'm at the point in my career where I want to help a team win in the playoffs.
"I don't see how I could help the Islanders or what I could do for them. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. And I hope they understand that. I was surprised they picked me up. I was like, 'Wow, what's the point?' "
So for now, Nabokov will sit. The Islanders could try to trade him, but he'd have to go through waivers again, and they could lose him for nothing. They could just leave him on suspension and then let him become an unrestricted free agent July 1. They also could let the suspension continue until he honors his deal.
MOULSON LIKES THE ISLAND
Nabokov may not want to play for the Islanders, but forward Matt Moulson does.
Moulson, who has 17 goals and 12 assists in 49 games this season, was due to become an unrestricted free agent this summer but signed a three-year contract extension instead.
"From the get-go, I told both sides
