Why Trade Nabokov?
by The Fitz on Jan 23, 2012 1:13 PM EST
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PrintEver since the beginning of training camp, maybe even before, the assumption has been the Islanders will trade Nabokov as soon as they get what they believe is acceptable value. I was all for that at the beginning.
But why now is everyone still under this assumption? He is playing lights out and this team is winning a lot of games lately. DiPietro is finished, so throw him out of any discussions. Poulin and Nillson are not ready to be number 1's and most likely are at least 2 more seasons away from being ready. So that leaves Montoya and Nabokov as the only legitimate full time NHL goalies in this organization. And all due respect to Montoya, but he is not any near as established as Nabokov. He has played well in his very limited time here, but he has a very small sample size.
Nabokov is only 36, which is not that old for goaltenders anymore. We have seen plenty of examples of goaltenders playing at a high level until they are 40. Nabokov has proven to be a great regular season goaltender. Yes, he has not always had the most success in the playoffs, but just getting TO the playoffs is what this organization needs to do by the end of next season.
I believe that Nabokov would be the perfect stop gap until Poulin (who I personally believe is going to be the future number 1 goaltender of this organization) is ready. I would offer him a 2 year contract. No one else is going to offer him that. Make it very similar to the Roloson contract from a few years ago. It gives Nabokov security, and it give the Islanders a proven NHL All Star goaltender for the next two years.
Now, he may say "no" to the Islanders. I don't believe he would say "no" to a 2 year contract at 37, but that is a possibility. If he does not want to sign here, then Montoya gets the nod. But to just automatically trade Nabokov at the deadline this year is absurd and seems to be based soley on spite because of what happened last year. Last year is in the past and cannot be undone. But this year he showed up and has played his butt off. He was not complaining early in the year when he was not getting many starts. Now that he had his opportunity, he made the most of it. You cannot ask for anything else out of a player. He has earned the contract and I believe it should be offered to him. Of course, if some team comes along and offers a 1st round pick for him at the deadline, then obviously the trade needs to be made. But as we have seen over the past few years, the trade value of goaltenders is very low. The most he would get is a 3rd round pick. I don't believe that is enough to trade a 300 win goaltender soley for spite.
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I'd rather them wait a couple more weeks
…maybe even up to the deadline but I think you have to get something for him. I think the chances of signing him are close to zero. Unless the team gets back in the playoff picture the next couple of weeks then you HAVE to trade him for something. What benefit would the Isles get out of keeping him around for an extra 6 weeks? If the playoffs are not realistically reachable then having him around does nothing for the long term plans of the team. I also think you are undervaluing him. With the way he is playing and his very low cap hit I think he’s good for a 2nd rounder or an OK prospect (maybe more).
No Sleep 'til....We Find Some Secondary Scoring
If the playoffs are not realistically reachable then having him around does nothing for the long term plans of the team.
true, but sometimes having a player for the stop-gap short term is just as important. Getting another year or two out of a guy like this would be valuable to the team, since we wouldn’t have to rush Poulin or anyone else, plus it lets us see if Montoya is a fluke or not for a longer period.
Trying to sign him for 2 years makes a lot fo sense – going forward with Nabakov/Montoya for at least another season would provide stability in goal.
As for the extra 6 weeks, do you want to keep sending the message “we weren’t good enough, so we’re going to dump what we can” to everyone else on the team? At what point does that start to creep in to the core players and possibly alienate them? All teams will have players to lose each off season – we didn’t give up anything to get Nabakov, so losing him won’t be as bad as it seems if he walks.
But we can still try to sign him over the offseason
just like any other free agent. And there are plenty of other guys to choose from if we cannot sign him. Unless he is part of the core he is a placesaver. And if someone else wants our placesaver for something halfway decent then pull off the trade and get another placesaver in the offseason.
No Sleep 'til....We Find Some Secondary Scoring
it totally depends on context
trading while value is high is always best. i believe they have to sign one of montoya or nabby, but right now nabby is too valuable for player development. if nabby still doesn’t want to play in NY next year, you trade high when his value is high, but it has to be for a price that out-weighs the loss to player development when he is gone. i.e., a first round pick, no question, he’s gone if he doesn’t resign. a 4th round pick…don’t waste snow’s time and hang up the phone.
by CanadianIsleslifer on Jan 23, 2012 4:01 PM EST reply actions
Couple of things
1. I agree that Nabby should be kept, but my bottom line for a trade would be a #2 + a good prospect
2. I’m not as sure as you are that our goalie insurance is there with Montoya, Poulin and Nilsson all having question marks after their names. So even if we sign Nabby I would look for another proven Goalie, and if he gets away, then another G would be imperative for next season if we have any play-off expectations
3. Snow earns his dough by not only what he does, but the timing. In this case I am referring to is if he plans to let Nabby go, sooner than the deadline, while he is hot might get us a better pik or player.
But the goalie market is always a buyers market
If it really is a concern I think they can find a halfway decent guy to sign short term. Then you’d have one of the kids on the bench for a month. Not a big deal.
No Sleep 'til....We Find Some Secondary Scoring
depends on team until deadline
if we gain ground on the final playoff spot, do not change anything in goal. Maybe make a trade to better the offense and make a final push in
if we fall off further than make the trade, go to Al and Nilsson with Poulin logging big minutes with the Sound Tigers. Trade Nabby again for some more offensive punch. Maybe package him with rolston or Reasoner so we get rid of them
Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all
In theory they could trade Montoya instead of Nabokov.
I mean, its possible.
Or they could just keep them both.
I really think its gonna depend on how much winning the Isles do in the next 4 weeks.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
I agree to a point
If he’s only going to bring back a sixth rounder, we’re probably better off keeping him so Poulin can finish up the year in the AHL, or NHL if they think he’s ready. Draft picks are nice for a rebuild, but I’m not sure we need another 2% success dart at this point.
That said, I don’t think bringing him back for two years makes sense. There’s going to be a whole slew of guys they can make short term offers to if the don’t think the answer is in house. I’d much rather see them bring Montoya back, and see if he can build upon the very good season he has had to date.
Didn't Nabby
say something about wanting to stick around the Island last week?
In Garth I Trust
I find merit in both arguments (keep or trade). I suspect the right call may become clear in the next few weeks. Then it will be up to Garth to execute the move, whatever it is.
by CloseCallJiggs on Jan 23, 2012 10:47 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
I see merit in...
both sides but I’d have to lean towards trading him if his high level of play continues and the prospects of the playoffs is far off come feb. If we could swap him for an NHL ready player with high upside, I’d have to say to pull the trigger. Were closer to the end of this rebuild then the beginning and it may just be time to find those final few pieces we’ll need. A second round quality forward or a 2nd line quality blueliner would be good value for a guy who we grabbed off waivers. At bare minimum shop him aggressively and see if the value is there.
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