Evgeni Nabokov

Last night in Pittsburgh, a head-scratching event happened right before the shootout.

I'm sure all Islanders fans, myself included, were shocked when they saw Rick DiPietro hop over the boards to replace Evgeni Nabokov to start the shootout.

On Friday, the New York Islanders announced they would toll the contract of Evgeni Nabokov, the Russian netminder who decided the Isles weren't worth his time.

What this means, is that Nabokov, who was claimed off waivers by Islanders GM Garth Snow this season, is under-contract for next season.

Before each season people like to make predictions.  Which team will win the cup?  Who will step up and win their division?  What teams will miss the playoffs?   Underlying most of these questions is whether or not a team has the kind of goaltending needed to make a splash.

Unfortunately for some netminders, the season hasn't gone as planned.  Some have lost playing time to a backup.  Others are backups that haven't managed to perform as expected.

Of course any hockey player would want to win the Stanley Cup but for Nabokov to state "what's the point?" to play for the Islanders when he wants to be on a Cup contender is a joke considering his history.

He turned his back on the team that he has played for his entire career—a team that is a legitimate Cup contender over money.

The return of former San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has taken a turn for the worse. The comeback story that one time held a feel good effect has now lost its spark at the hands of the New York Islanders.

Once the Detroit Red Wings’ backup net minder Chris Osgood was placed on the injured reserved list after tearing his groin, the Red Wings needed a new goalie to back up Jimmy Howard.

Evgeni Nabokov was claimed off waivers on Saturday by the New York Islanders after he signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. Many people were puzzled by the Islanders' decision, since Nabokov had said before that he wanted to sign with a Stanley Cup contending team, and let's face it, the Islanders are nowhere near that stage.

Most predicted he wouldn't report, and lo and behold, he didn't.

Unplucked Gems brings you a fresh batch of available free agents in a majority of fantasy hockey leagues. The available players are broken down to three categories: Must Haves, Space Available and Watchables.

(Check out our past Unplucked Gems archives and other features by Patrick Baker at Unplucked Sports. Follow us:  twitter.com/unpluckedsports)

Shaky goaltending situations never lead to Stanley Cups.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, there are a few net minders who could solidify some teams playoff runs.

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On last night's (January 22, 2011) edition of Hockey Night in Canada, Ron MacLean seemed to prompt Mike Milbury to criticize New York Islander general manager Garth Snow for claiming free agent goaltender Evgeni Nabokov off waivers. Attacking Snow and Islander owner Charles Wang has become a bloodsport among hockey "journalists."

As first reported by the Isles official Twitter account, the Islanders have claimed goaltender Evgeni Nabokov off waivers.

Nabokov was recently signed by the Detroit Red Wings, but in order for him to be a part of their club, he was required to go through waivers. All Evgeni has to do now is report to the team and he will be property of the Islanders.

That shouldn't be a problem anyhow, as Nabokov's agent stated yesterday that "he would report to any team that claims him".