New York Islanders: What Could Have Been With Jaro
Dec 29, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Chris Stewart (7) scores a goal as forward Jason Pominville (29) celebrates in front of New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) during the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Islanders shocked most of us when they announced that apparent number one goalie Jaroslav Halk had been waived after a stinker of a performance against the Minnesota Wild.
We’ve seen coaches fired after a terrible result, but a player to be for-all-intents-and-purposes sent packing, is something new. But by God, the New York Islanders did it with Jaroslav Halak.
It’s not like this was Jaro’s only bad game this season. Overall the 2016-17 season been a bad year for Halak. In 21 games played he posted a 6-8-5 record with a 3.23 GAA and a .904 SV%. Just awful stuff from your starter.
There were glimmers of hope this season. Remember that game he stole against the Washington Capitals at the beginning of December? And how about that run he went on with Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey?
Must Read: Islanders Put Jaroslav Halak on Waivers
Bad on-ice performances. Off-ice drama between the team, Halak, and his agent Alan Walsh, ultimately spelled doom for the 32-year-old Slovakian goaltender. But waived?
I know it was suggested that Halak should be waived on Twiter and on some Isles Facebook groups. But these weren’t given much serious consideration by any stretch. Until it happened and I checked my twitter feed at leats four times to make sure it wasn’t an onion link or something.
Halak isn’t likely to get picked up from waivers. There aren’t many teams that need a sub-par goalie with a significant $4.5 million cap hit for the next two seasons to clog up their cap.
So, I wanted to play revisionist history. What could have gone differently between Halak and the Isles?
Dec 29, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) is pulled from the game in favor of goalie Jean-Francois Berube (30) during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
One Too Many Goalies
Starting the 2016-17 the Garth Snow insisted that the New York Islanders roster hold three goaltenders on the active roster. It was a bold unconventional move because you can only dress two goaltenders at a time.
The move worked well for Snow last season when Halak went down with an injury at the end of the season. Greiss and Berube carried the team through the season to a 100 point finish and even earned a first round win against the Florida Panthers.
Unless Garth knew that one of either Halak or Greiss was going to get injured or was going to be traded, keeping three goalies wasn’t going to give the Isles any discernable advantage. But yet there they were: Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, and Jean-Francois Berube reunited once again.
So why didn’t Garth Snow trade away one of the three at the start of the season?
Halak’s value was likely at its peak with a strong World Cup of Hockey performance for Team Europe and a fair $4.5 million cap hit for what was a strong starter then. Both Greiss and Berube would have been worth significantly less, but still had fair value. The Isles could have even kept P.A. Parenteau and his not at all terrible production of 16pts in 34 games on the team!
Spoke w/ Garth Snow-Focused on wins.If there was an opportunity to add a player now or future for Jaro he would have done it already. #Isles
— Shannon Hogan (@Shannon_Hogan) December 30, 2016
According to Garth the reason he didn’t trade Halak is because there wasn’t an opportunity to add a player, either now or in the future. Which sounds like some made up GM talk for, I didn’t try.
I get it, there’s no way Snow could have known that things would turn out this way in terms of Halak’s on ice performances. All indicators pointed to another standard Halak year. But because he kept two other keepers, he made a bad situation much much worse.
Dec 1, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) makes a save against the Washington Capitals in the third period at Verizon Center. The Islanders won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Play To Your Level
It shouldn’t be too much to ask, but maybe if Halak had played even up to his career average this could have all been avoided.
The drama with his agent. The embarrassment of playing in the AHL. And the real possibility that he may not be back in the NHL.
How many times this season have we been let down by Halak this season? How meany weak goals, how many late goals, how many weak late goals did he give up? I didn’t count but his 13 losses (including OTL) from 21 games played sums it up nicely.
If Halak played to his average .917 SV% and 2.37 GAA career average maybe he forces Snow to make a trade or even waive one of the other two goaltenders on the roster?
At some point, Halak has to say: “I should have done better”
Commit to Your Number One In Net & At Center
You can’t argue that Halak was brought in to be the number one keeper for this franchise. Come puck drop on the 2016-17 season, fresh off the heels of a fantastic World Cup performance, Halak was still the number one keeper for the Islanders.
The Isles should have committed to their number ones. Both the one in between the pipes in Halak and at Center in John Tavares. Bring in that elite level winger, or keep the ones they seemingly had and add another.
I know this piggy-backs on the first option a little but, trade a goalie in a package deal with some other players and put this franchise in a position to win some games.
Fans have been saying it for years, Tavares needs help. He needs a winger he can play with, or at least a second option so he isn’t left alone to carry this team.
If the Isles were to have brought that player in in the offseason and they win games, maybe Halak doesn’t look so bad.
Trade one of the other two keepers, along with one of their seemingly endless supply of middle six forwards, and a defensive prospect and maybe land a Matt Duchene or a James van Riemsdyk.
Maybe with that new addition, Halak plays to his level and he avoids the waiver wire altogether. Maybe the tire fire we know as the 2016-17 season looks like the continuation of the two 100 point season the Isles had in the two previous season?
There’s a saying in the world of business: “the longer you wait, the less options you have”. The Isles had options, they just waited too long to do anything and so they did they only thing they could and waive Halak.
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