One of the biggest questions for the New York Islanders coming into training camp, is that chaos of a situation they have when it comes to goaltending.
To quickly recap the situation, Dwayne Roloson was traded on 1/1/11 to Tampa which left DiPietro as the #1 goaltender. DiPietro got hurt, and Nathan Lawson became the starting goaltender. Lawson wasn't as good as he was hyped up to be, and Kevin Poulin came in to take the job. DiPietro comes back, and he and Poulin share the duties of goaltender. On 1/22 Evgeny Nabokov goes on waivers to sign with the Detroit Red Wings, and the Islanders "surprise the NHL world" by claiming him off waivers. Nabokov for whatever reason decides not to report, and once again Poulin and DiPietro are left to share the duties of goaltenders. 2/2 comes along as the Islanders face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a game which sees DiPietro going down in a fight and missing 4-6 weeks with whatever face injury he suffered. A few games later, on 2/8, another goaltending injury takes place which sees Kevin Poulin get hurt in warmups. Mikko Koskinen comes in and loses his first NHL game. On 2/9, the Islanders decide they've seen enough and trade for Al Montoya, who would prove to play exceptionally and for the most part be the #1 goaltender for the Islanders for the remainder of the season.
Now move forward a few months and you have a great big fiasco. On one hand you have Rick DiPietro, who on all counts bleeds blue and orange, but no one knows if he can stay healthy long enough to be the #1 goaltender the Islanders so desperately need him to be. Make no mistake, when DiPietro plays at his 100% he is as good as any goaltender you can find in the NHL.
On the other hand, you have Al Montoya. Montoya was exceptional for the Islanders ever since they traded for him, posting a 9-5-5 record, with an amazing 2.39 gaa, and a .921 SV% with it. Montoya was great, but can he do it for 60+ games as the Islanders would need him to? Can he be consistent for an entire season, and finally be the #1 goaltender he was thought to be when the Rangers drafted him 6th overall in the 2004 NHL Draft by them?
On yet another hand you have Evgeny Nabokov. The Russian goaltender was phenomenal in the regular season during his time with San Jose, and has finally decided to grace Long Islanders with his presence at training camp. There were several rumors for why Nabokov didn't report to the Islanders when they claimed him, but personally I really don't care why he didn't come. He's here, and that's all that counts. Can he be the goalie he was in SJ? If so, then Montoya can step aside, and DiPietro better return to his 06/07 days or else he can step aside too.If not, then trade him to the highest bidder and get the headache over with.
I have a different view per goaltender, so let's start out with DiPietro. The man has more dedication to this organization then anybody in the past 20 years, and just as much as any player that's ever worn an Islander sweater since it came into the NHL 40 years ago. If he does come into the season healthy, and playing at his top form then I see no reason why he shouldn't be the #1 goalie. If that's the case, then the Islanders should keep Nabokov if he plays well in the pre-season and trade Montoya for he would have more trade value. If that's not the case, and he's playing the way he did last season in November, then you name the better goalie between Montoya and Nabokov the #1, and either use DiPietro as a backup, send him down, or buy him out altogether.
As for Montoya, Montoya's the unfortunate third wheel in this situation. His role on the team depends more on the performance of the other 2 goalies, then on his own. The only way I see him being the #1 goalie is if both DiPietro and Nabokov are posting GAA higher then 3 and he's posting a 2.4. Highly unlikely situation. Chances are Montoya will either be traded for having more value then Nabokov, or simply be kept as a backup to one of the other 2, but chances are very slim he becomes the #1 goalie in my opinion.
Nabokov, simply has to show a glimpse of his play in SJ, and outplay DiPietro and the #1 spot will have his name on it. Fans may disagree because he didn't report, and has no loyalty to the organization. Well if a goaltender with loyalty is what fans want, then my question is why the heck do you keep on booing the one who does?!
It's plain and simple really, the best goalie will be the #1 goaltender, and the rest will either be traded, bought out, sent down, or simply benched. Head coach, Jack Capuano, said it best, "I will play the goalie who wins games".
