Evgeni Nabokov may have tried to sour his first impression with the New York Islanders, but the Islanders aren’t budging in their efforts to finally get Nabokov on the Island.
According to the Associated Press Islanders GM Garth Snow tried to reach out to the 35 year old Nabokov Saturday shortly after the Islanders claimed him off of waivers from the Red Wings. Snow said he identified himself on the phone and Nabokov immediately hung up on him.
Snow was finally able to talk to Nabokov on Sunday when he learned that Nabokov was unaware of who he was talking to when he abruptly hung up on him. Snow relayed what happened to Nabokov’s agent Don Meehan who said he would discuss the matter with his client.
“He called me back 15 or 20 minutes later,” Snow said of Meehan. “Donnie said, ‘He didn’t know it was you. He was on two or three different phones, and people from the media were calling him.’
“I just gave him the benefit of the doubt and I said to Donnie, ‘Do me a favor. When he gets done with all his phone calls, give him my number and get back to me.”
Nabokov is clearly disappointed that he wasn’t able to join the Detroit Red Wings who are in contention to win the Stanley Cup where as the Islanders are far out of the Eastern Conference race.
“It’s something that we’re going to talk about probably a little bit later in the day,” Snow said. “He had his heart set on going to Detroit, obviously. I told him I respect that, but he’s a New York Islander now and we’d love to have him part of our group.”
New York owns Nabokov’s rights, and could keep him out of the NHL for all of next season should Nabokov not report.
“I’m not going to speculate,” Snow said. “I’m looking forward to having him in an Islanders uniform. We can cross those bridges when we get there. I’m not there yet.”
Nabokov told ESPN.com Sunday that his decision not to join the Islanders is not personal, he only wanted to join a title contending team at this point in his career.
“I think I’m going to stay home for now, I’m sticking with my decision,” Nabokov said Sunday. “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?”‘
“I understand the rules,” Nabokov told ESPN.com. “We’re not stupid. We knew what was going on before we made the decision. But I made this decision because the goal was to play with Detroit.”
Once he inked his one-year deal with the Red Wings, he became available to the Islanders.
“It’s a situation where I feel we got a talented player off waivers and we’d be thrilled to have him part of the organization,” Snow said. “He has a standard player’s contract with our organization.”
Snow insists he isn’t angry and would still welcome Nabokov into the organization.
“It might be his anniversary, it could be his birthday, maybe he has dinner plans tonight,” Snow said. “So if it takes until tomorrow to get him here, that’s fine, too.”
Islanders owner Charles Wang indicated that the team will not put Nabokov bank on waivers. The Islanders also have a few different options on what they can do if Nabokov continues to sit out.
First the Islanders could go to the NHL and ask to have a “toll” put on Nabokov’s contract meaning that the Islanders would own Nabokov’s rights for the entired 2011-12 season.
Second, they could put him back on waivers which again will not happen according to the Islanders owner.
Third, they could trade him. However the trade process in this case could get a little complicated.
Now to save myself from having to put this process in my own words, here is what TSN.ca’s Bob McKenzie has to say on that matter…
In order to trade Nabokov, here is what would have to happen (put on your thinking cap, because this is going to get complicated):
The Islanders would inform the league they intend to trade Nabokov. Before any trade could be executed, though, the NHL would go to any other club(s) that put in an original waiver claim (besides the Isles) and ask whether those teams have interest in acquiring Nabokov for the $3,375 waiver price. If an original claimant wants Nabokov, they get him. If more than one original claimant wants him, the team lowest in the standings on the day he was put on waivers gets the player. Nabokov never actually gets put on waivers a second time in this scenario.
So in that case the Isles cannot execute the trade. Original waivers claimants take precedence over the Islanders’ desire to trade him.
If the Isles were the only team that put in a claim, the Isles still are not free to trade Nabokov. Not yet.
That’s because as a player who played in Europe after the NHL season began, Nabokov must clear waivers any time he is being traded or assigned.
In that case, any of the 29 teams, including Detroit, can put in a claim on Nabokov. If more than one team puts in a claim, the team lowest in the standings gets him. In this actual (second) waiver scenario, there is no priority given to a team that originally claimed Nabokov the first time he was on waivers.
What would seem obvious is that were Nabokov to be put on waivers a second time, Detroit would most certainly put in a claim. So the odds of Nabokov ever clearing waivers for the purposes of being traded by the Isles would appear to be virtually non-existent.
If all that isn’t confusing enough, keep in mind Nabokov has a no movement clause. He can’t be put on waivers or traded without his permission.
Although since he clearly doesn’t want to be an Islander, odds are good he would waive for a chance to relocate.
But when, or if, that will ever happen; your guess is as good as mine. It’s entirely up to the Islanders and there is, quite frankly, not much impetus for them to do anything at all.
In fact, if they can “toll” the contract and effectively prevent Nabokov from playing anywhere next season but Long Island, doing nothing now may give the Islanders the most leverage in this standoff.
Source: Sports Illustrated, Associated Press, TSN.ca
