ISLANDERS SIGN DWAYNE ROLOSON
2 years, $5 million for 40-year old goaltender

Roloson talk here. All other UFA discussion continues in next thread.

 

The absolute right move. The best goalie they could get for the shortest term. $2.5 million a year for two years for Dwayne Roloson, who was Edmonton’s MVP last season. He will be 40 when the season starts, but keeps himself in great shape and is known for his intense focus. In his last three seasons, Roloson played 68, 43 and 63 regular season games for the Oilers.

 

Last night, with Edmonton still not having signed him, we listed Roloson as the top goalie available on a short-term deal. Well done by Garth Snow.

 

Roloson just told TSN that the second year was the stumbling block with Edmonton, that he knows Rick DiPietro and he’ll leave it up to the coaching staff to decide who’s playing how much.

 

Comments on signing only. UFA talk continues below.

185 Responses to “ISLANDERS SIGN DWAYNE ROLOSON
2 years, $5 million for 40-year old goaltender”  

  1. 1 DM

    not to dig at logan (love his work, too), but yesterday he said roloson was “far too unlikely”….kinda funny. that said, i love the move….perfect stopgap like someone on here said

  2. 2 Pez

    awesome he can be another vet to help guide the kids

  3. 3 bergie20

    i was hoping for anderson but welcome dwayne! the bridge between dp and koskinen.

  4. 4 Mike

    Another great free agent signing by Garth Snow. I hope that it’s not our biggest move of the day but if it is, we can’t complain.

  5. 5 HNLI Alex

    Agreed. Good signing. Hopefully there’s more to come, but can’t say I’m holding my breath.

  6. 6 JimmyB

    Good Move Garth….Lets Go Islanders

  7. 7 kevin27NYI

    ok. i like it. hes old but put up respectable numbers. good sign garth!

  8. 8 Walygz

    I like it. Solid starter and good leadership presence. Can’t complain.

  9. 9 hyedray

    Okay….it works as a stop gap for sure.

    Clearly the plan is to see if DePietro can play and we need to see what Koskinen can do–I assume in Bridgeport.

    Good move. The age makes me nervous, but a good move.

  10. 10 Jared

    I hope he has a positive influence on DP. With a lot of young guys on this team he can be very helpful in the locker room. It’s a much better option than what we had before

  11. 11 dynasty23x4

    was on my wishlist as well. im a happy camper on the goaltending front!

  12. 12 Jon Mac

    Great signing. Not only is he a quality goaltender, but he is known for being a great leader in the dressing room. This gives us a proven goalie to back up DP, while also providing us flexibility to bring up one of the young goalie we just drafted if they prove to have the right stuff. Good job Snow!

  13. 13 Hockey1919

    Definite upgrade at the right term and price.

  14. 14 miketee

    Couldn’t agree more. This take enormous pressure off DiPietro even if he fully recuperates. Roloson is a solid goaltended who has been both a back-up and a #1 and the 2 year deal easily helps to bridge the gap to Koskinen or any of the other developmental prospects.

  15. 15 Alex

    Nice signing. And maybe after he serves his contract, he can become another goalie coach for the team or even the assistant to the assistant GM!

  16. 16 the1gwiz

    Nice. Fits the bill perfectly. Would have liked the price to be a bit lower, but such is the way of the UFA market. “Great chape,” indeed :)

  17. 17 2277

    good move, a proven 1A for us.

    we need a dman and a winger. It scares me to say this but I have faith in Snow and company…

  18. 18 ItsGoodToBeRich

    Very nice move by Garth. Out of all the goalies available, Roloson will provide us with some veteran presence.

    Don’t worry so much about this signing, it’s only a back-up goalie.

  19. 19 Steve S

    Hooray … we’ll have at least one NHL goalie on the roster next season.

    $2.5 million down, $5.5 to go in order to reach the floor.

  20. 20 kevin fitz

    Good move. But not very exciting. Can we fast forward 2 years for when we start signing actual starts on July 1??

  21. 21 Rangers SUCK

    Get ready to play 70 games Dwayne, eat lots of carbs :)

  22. 22 Eric B.

    Thuis guy had a 2.77 GAA last yr in 63 games. He could be 90-I don’t care. I like it a lot. He is a capable backup and I am very happy with it. It gives them some flexibility to have one of their draftees in hear as a back up to start the 2011-12 season.

  23. 23 Section 320 rocks!!!!!!

    I like the signing!!! Not bad salary and he still is a good goalie!

  24. 24 Fauxrumors

    The jokes can commence that Snow is grooming his successor. ; )
    Yes, it IS a good move

  25. 25 Rengi

    Very good signing for the short term. Hopefully also Mikko Koskinen will work out on the bridge and push both DP and Roloson.

  26. 26 Church Hill Drew

    Agreed. Consumate professional and the guy CAN play. You can’t truly rebuild if you have guys like Danis and MacDonald in net. A Roloson type takes some of the heat off the kids.

  27. 27 Vukota

    Hope he can fight!!

  28. 28 Knight of Cups

    He said the main reason he signed here was the Isles gave him a 2yr deal.

  29. 29 mtrico

    This seems like a good move. Thumbs up to Garth on this one.

  30. 30 C.J.

    Absolutely agree CB…. EXACTLY the right move in this circumstance.

  31. 31 Gary Harding

    I think this is nicer than most will think, good job. Give Ricky a healthy challenge for the #1 spot will be interesting to say the least.

  32. 32 Triz

    next up Komisarek and Scuderi lets go garth make it happen

  33. 33 chris

    ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC MOVE! This is the goalie I wanted them to get all along. I was sad to see Logan saying not a chance, but Logan also thought the Isles weren’t taking Tavares. Wrong twice in the same week, Logan…

  34. 34 Word

    No reason to complain. Fills a need. Suitable contract in length & $’s. End of story.

    I’d say that his presence + the obvious upgrade of JT/maturation of our rooks, pretty much assures we’re NOT finishing in last place this year…

  35. 35 Mike

    Worst case scenario is we have our new GM signed for two years if Wang decides to give Snow the axe.

  36. 36 Chronic dro

    I like DR will be good till the big guy is ready to come up

  37. 37 Jay

    #20, I was going to make the same joke you suggested, but you beat me to it. I’m also a fan of the signing though. Next year will likely be more fun than this year was!

  38. 38 Lance

    this also gets us to the cap floor

  39. 39 b-ri

    good signing

    Scuderi Next hopefully

    We lost one Umass-Lowell player yesterday (Ben Walter) but we get one today (Roloson) for those who care

  40. 40 scatchard38 (Mike from Sarasota)

    Great signing. Can carry the workload if DP is unable to return, and would form an excellent tandem if DP is healthy. Thumbs up.

  41. 41 Alex

    Isles still have to spend $4.5 million just to reach the cap floor. Let’s hope for another good signing or two. I’m crossing my fingers for Cammelleri or Beauchemin.

  42. 42 James

    Very good deal and great for the price

    Like I said before, Roloson doesnt play like a 40-year old, more like 30. Gives DP a challenge and takes pressure off of him

    Plus Roloson can lend veteran presence and leadership, he is also a great team guy. As CB reported Roloson is fine with whatever role he plays.

  43. 43 Lance

    Isles don’t have another 4.5 to the floor

  44. 44 Carmine

    Snow is turning into a pretty crafty GM here. I like this deal a lot. Rolson is intense and and has big desire to win.

  45. 45 kevin27NYI

    once again, great signing. i feel confident in him. BD made a good point and said that DP may not be as ready as he thinks he is and its good to know that dwayne and rick are friends.

  46. 46 Lance

    add comeu, thompson, hillen, and tavares to your numbers

  47. 47 Lance

    Our highest paid forward is alexie yashin

  48. 48 Islander505

    Good signing of Roloson…I never dreamed we’d be big enough to be in the hunt for him.

  49. 49 303Joe

    Nice solid signing by the Isles guys a nice NHL goalie.

  50. 50 Dan L

    I’m happy with this one, sure there may have been signings that wouldve been more ideal but this is a solid FA we picked up here.

  51. 51 hubie39

    good call on this one, CB……..

  52. 52 Glenn

    I love this signing. 2 years, manageable dollars, PROVEN NHL GOALTENDER WHO CAN WIN, still has it at 40… great move. A legit 1A as one poster said.

  53. 53 Chris TMC

    I agree with you, Mike from Sarasota (39): He is good enough to start and at the same time humble and accepting enough of his position/age to backup. Thank goodness, our top need was actually addressed!

  54. 54 Word

    I see a marketing program with Nestle promoting Rolo’s in Isles future.

  55. 55 The Express

    I dig it…good signing by the Isles. Old enough to know what he’s coming into with the team, and can actually play his position.

  56. 56 Hockey1919

    This is the kind of signing that doesn’t impact the re-build because they aren’t signing a veteran to fill a spot that can be used to develop a younger player. Instead it helps them get to the cap floor and keeps them competitive so that the kids don’t get develop a losing mentality. Contract clears out right around the time the Islanders will need to start re-signing the current crop of youngsters and when the latest round of goalies may be ready.

  57. 57 Wayne

    Excellent signing. I hope that I’m wrong but the signing of Roloson to me implies that management is not 100% sold that DiPietro will be ready by the start of the season. Good work Snow. earsound.com

  58. 58 chris

    I don’t know DP’s status but even if healthy I think at least this season he plays at best 50-50 with Roloson. I’m sure Snow made Roloson and his agent assurances that he would play a sizable number of games so long as his performance remained solid, which I expect.

  59. 59 Will OC

    awesome move….Roloson has been nothing but a consistent and all out competitor for the Oilers for the last few years. ANyone who watched the Oilers more than occassionally last year knows Rollie was their MVP. He will be a fantastic locker room prescense to for the younger guys as well….

    I’ve officially decided to be optimistic about any Snow move because he’s making all the right moves over the last couple years to set us up for a solid team in 2-3 years

  60. 60 4peatsake

    He doesn’t look a day over 39

  61. 61 Bryan

    Roloson is too good a goalie to agree to be a backup for 2 years when there are starting positions available. This tells me DP is hurt worse than we thought.

  62. 62 Billy-no-not-Jaffe

    I give Garth an A- on this signing.
    It will buy us time to see what Rickity and Koskenen have.
    Now better get a policeman. How about Rupp who can actually skate?

  63. 63 Mike

    Regardless of weather or not Rick is ready to play by October, you have to remember that he hasn’t really been a full time goaltender since February 2008.

  64. 64 Neil

    If DP isn’t ready for the season, who is the back-up for Rollie on opening night?

  65. 65 misterpink

    not bad, but with anderson signing for $1.8 and conklin for $1.3 .. $2.5 looks a little desperate.

  66. 66 ars9x

    I think it’s a great signing and according to Roloson he and DP have had a relationship since DP was in college so hopefully this will add to them being good teammates and it won’t make DP feel insecure. Solid goalie so DP can take the time he needs to FULLY heal and he better friggin take it! None of this ego BS about feeling like he HAS to compete. He has to heal. Good job Garth!

  67. 67 german islesfan

    good move garth.

  68. 68 Bedell

    Very very solid signing. A good vet goalie that still can play pretty well was exactly what we needed and we just filled that need.

  69. 69 AveryinPanties

    I seriously don’t know what to think. I won’t be drinking the CB koolaid on this one though and say how great a signing this is. HE IS 40!!! and a goaltender. that is like signing a 40 yr old catcher in baseball. Its a lot of money for a “backup”. So what is really up with DP. Rolo is good but if he is called on for more than 25 games he will begin to show his age.

  70. 70 Steve S

    He played in 63 games last season and didn’t show his age at all.

  71. 71 Pd

    great move snowy

  72. 72 Isles Fanatic

    I really like this signing…for those stating that the Isles need only 4.5-5 million to reach the cap floor, I beleive that is not correct…the cap is approx 55.6 million for this coming season and the floor is not 40 million…but more along the lines of 43 mill. and they are around the 35 million mark…still got a ways to go…but good first short term signing…

  73. 73 Ann Aquarian

    People are going to think I’m jumping the gun, but I would not be surprised if DP is done. I know I’m not his biggest fan, but that would suck if his career is already over. I have a feeling like they’re anticipating him not returning.

    Maybe his hip is just shot.

  74. 74 Will OC

    Oilers ran Roloson ragged last season after the All-Star break…he played a crazy amount of consecutive games and didnt show any signs of fatigue, age so thats good enough for me…I think this was a steal and if you don’t believe it listen to some analysts on how f’d the Oilers are now that they lost Rollie

  75. 75 James

    Avery:

    Roloson played 62 games last year for the Oilers and was very solid. Dont look at his age, look at the age he plays. His birth certificate says he is 40, but he plays like a 30-year old.

    I just think too many are getting caught up on his actual age more than looking at what he has actually done the last few years

  76. 76 johnRVC

    well played garth

  77. 77 MikeinRichmondVA

    One of many good moves by a guy who was a backup goalie and had no GM experience and started a rebuild and is getting the confidence of Isle fans..

  78. 78 Ugly Rosie From Massapequa

    Wow, 69 comments and only ONE negative one. That has to be some sort of Internet record.

    It’s amazing how smart Garth Snow became to the fans in the past week.

    Kinda reminds me of the following:

    “I thought my dad was the dumbest man on the planet, but when I graduated college, I couldn’t BELIEVE how smart he got!”

  79. 79 Mike

    Yashin is still our highest paid foward and next year his buy out cap hit will surpass DP as our highest paid overall. LOL. How sad is that.

  80. 80 TomUnfiltered

    One more positive move in what has been a positive early summer so far for a team that needs all the positivity it can get! This is by far the right move. Snow is really impressing me.

  81. 81 miket

    wow the MVP of a team that didnt make the playoffs.

  82. 82 chris

    If DP isn’t ready for the season to start, I wouldn’t be surprised if they offered a one year, two way contract to Danis or MacDonald if they are still available to back up Roloson.

    I actually believe they should do this now because even if DP is getting better, he should do some conditioning in the AHL before coming back. It isn’t like another time would pick him up off of waivers or anything…

  83. 83 Numbers65 Isle in Ohio

    GREAT MOVE!

  84. 84 Tom B

    nice! and I say the older the goalie and better they are… Okay maybe 40 is up there, but he is going to be a great bridge to someone coming up behind him and give us a shot at being competitive.

    NOW! we need a BASHER for Tavares.

  85. 85 Blockness Monster

    Great signing …..
    Has the ability to be a #1 goalie.
    On TSN Roloson was asked about making the playoffs this year. He said he spoke with Garth about it and his ability to play well in the playoffs was a consideration in signing him.

    Yeah baby!

  86. 86 Matt

    Roloson 2yrs 2.5 mil per
    Conklin 2 yrs 1.3 mil per

    Not sure why everyone praising Garth so much. Is it horrible — no. But, he overpaid for a 40-yr old.

  87. 87 Adam Cohen

    Very nice signing by Garth. Good goalie and great person from what I hear. Oiler fans are not going to be happy they are losing him because they wouldn’t give him a second year.

  88. 88 Spartiarti - RVC

    35 games to DP, 47 games to Roloson in year 1.

    50 games to DP, 32 to Roloson in Year 2. and im very happy.

    Make Spartiarti very happy.

  89. 89 TuxTax

    Solid Goalie…Good Signing! Whats next?

  90. 90 Staten Islander

    #82. my thoughts exactly

  91. 91 StevieL

    Sorry, not that excited yet! we sign a 40 year old goaltender to 5 million to be 1A, when younger Conklin an Anderson both sign for less!Unless DP is completely done, he is obviously nothing more than a stop gap. Hard to get pumped for a guy who will play 35 games!I am not ready to build a statue of Garth Snow yet at the Lighthouse. He was probably the only 1 offerring Rolo 2 years!

  92. 92 ExtraButterRVC

    BIG FAN of this signing.. i also thought we wouldn’t be in the running. especially after Logan’s comments… Awesome, i hope this keeps up!

  93. 93 Blockness Monster

    According to comments on TSN’s article about the signing….Oilers fans are upset and extremely complimentary of Garth Snow.

  94. 94 Rob

    Great signing.. Prob not looking to play more then two years anyway, and by then DP will either be totally healthy or finished, and one of our two goaltending draftees should be ready… Great shortterm #1A… Anderson or Clemmmenson would want longer deals and with the finish goalie on the horizon, and DP rehabbing, we dont need to sign a younger goalie to 4 or 5 year deal.. Great move!!

    Noew the enforcer.. get BRIAN MCGRATTON.. Please go watch him manhandle Donald Brashear.. He is big and a free agent who will fight anyone!!

  95. 95 Sumo Goalie

    As long as age doesn’t catch up with him, this is a good deal. What’s next Snow? Please tell me you have more moves up your sleeve.

  96. 96 JAY DUGAN

    I LIKE IT….ESPECIALLY FOR 2 YEARS

  97. 97 Iron Islander77

    Ok, goalie issue resolved. How about team toughness?

  98. 98 Blizzard

    Yes good signing. But he is gonna start a lot more games than anyone thinks.

  99. 99 goislesgo105

    Like the signing!! Hope we sign Cammilleri and Rupp too. With Tavares, Cammilleri, OK and Bailey we would actually score some GOALS !! Keep it up Garth. GO ISLES

  100. 100 RAmen

    Roloson immediately makes the islanders a more solid team. great signing Garth. Now, bring in some muscle!

  101. 101 islesfan999

    Nice move. He should be good for the next 2 years.

  102. 102 Madchef

    our division is getting toughter garth…….get us some protection for our new franchise player

  103. 103 tond24

    “I wanted to try and get a two-year deal, and it was one of the teams that offered a two-year deal,” he said. “That’s it. That’s why.”

    thats the roloson quote…ha funny

  104. 104 jcapisles

    This guy Roloson is money. Good job Garth Vader. You get your lightsaber back … for now.

  105. 105 jim

    I totally forgot about Rolie the Goalie1
    he is good despite being the big 4-0.
    Good signing.

  106. 106 Matt

    While I like the signing, it is a steep price for a 40-year old. I know he put up numbers last year, but age catches up at some point. It is unavoidable.

    Hope he is ready for a full workload next season.

  107. 107 RAmen

    86 - Sorry, I don’t think you can compare Ty Conklin to Roloson. Roloson is one of the 30 best goaltenders in the NHL today. Conklin is an average back up.

  108. 108 LouD

    Why is everyone expecting more when we were told straight out that they wouldn’t be making any big splash in free agency? I just don’t understand why people want to set themselves up for dissapointment.

  109. 109 mag_nificent

    I love this signing, Roloson said in an interview that he and DP are friends, so that eliminates any friction between the two. This is DP’s team, but Roloson will play a good amount to take the physical pressure off of Ricky. So in the long term it gives DP time to pace him self into the 60 game guy again. In two years when Roloson retires, Koskinen or Lawson will be ready to assume an NHL spot.

  110. 110 Strummer's Army

    Like Roloson signing, seems to bridge perfectly to Mikko and Nilsson, while giving the Isles the kind of top notch goaltending between their top 2 in DiPietro and Roloson they haven’t seen since Smith & Hrudey. This goaltending tandem could easily win the Jennings Trophy is Garth puts a real defense in front of him.

    Rangers signed Brashear. Between that and Boyle Sather has sent a clear message how they intend to play against Tavares. Waiting on the toughness to be brought in Snow to work with Wrecker. This is also why trading one of the biggest and best fighters on the team in Sutton makes no sense.

  111. 111 Heineken

    like the signing of roloson.

    to the people who wanted anderson and conklin whos to say he wanted to come to ny?
    Last yr conklin took less to go to detroit.
    luckily we got a solid Goalie before they were all taken and were in the same position as last season with two horrible goalies.

    Great move Snow

  112. 112 Jethro09

    Really solid signing…now we just need an enforcer and a reliable d-man. A veteran forward wouldn’t hurt either.

  113. 113 AveryinPanties

    Rolo will break down. Last year he had to fight for his starting job. He knew he would be a free agent. When DP can’t play and we have to count on Rolo he will show his age. Any of you who think otherwise need to put the pipe down.
    Now with that said, it is ok because this year will be a repeat of last. Hall #1 to the isles is a lock.

  114. 114 frank nyc

    nice signing. now when dp cant start the season we have a legit goalie to man the pipes. Then when dp comes back and promptly injures his knee, Roloson can make sure the team doesnt take a hugee hit

  115. 115 Paul

    And he never loses in the shootout!

  116. 116 Vlad from Brooklyn

    Good move Garth! Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow. Now, I think the D problem need to be addressed. We have to many veterans in this area and only two youngsters. Or may be Snow is waiting for our prospects to fill in? Just thinking…

  117. 117 islesfan9121

    Great signing. Will be a solid backup and can step in if DP gets hurt at any time next year.

  118. 118 MJS

    #86 and those looking at salaries, did it occur to you guys that Conklin’s salary doubled and Anderson’s tripled while Roloson’s went down? Probably not. Besides, are we going to start griping about his cap hit or something? Give me a break. Roloson’s a good add. He’ll play some good goal, and he’d be a real solid backup if DP comes back in the next two years and then probably retire. At the very least he will be better than what we suffered through last season.

  119. 119 jon from nj

    As per Roloson’s comments, he stated the only reason he came to the Island was that they offered 2 years. I don’t know how much that says he WANTS to be here, but so be it, I guess. Dude is 40 years old tho…

  120. 120 isles99

    i dont like this move, what does it accomplish? helps us win maybe 5 more games…so we’ll finish 25th instead of 30th..id rather have another 1st overall pick to add to the homegrown talent

  121. 121 battery jackson

    he’s a man, he’s 40!

  122. 122 Isles fan in CA

    Nice pickup. Experienced and something to prove to the rest of the NHL at his age. Plus it keeps the fire lit under DP’s rear.

  123. 123 Will OC

    @113 you clearly didnt watch any of Roloson’s games last year…He didnt get the starting job b/c Garon earned the starting job the year before, but when Garon choked, Rollie was there to keep the Oilers competitive for the rest of the year….I’m not saying Rollies are savior and we’re gonna make the playoffs (I figure us at best finishing at around 22-24 in the NHL)but he’s a great competitor, an even better team player and hasnt even close to shown his age the last few seasons…

    Rollie will make our team a little bit tougher to beat night in and night out

  124. 124 Sean

    Horrible signing. He paid more money for Roloson then others paid for Anderson and Conklin who are most likely better and younger. WTF was garth thinking? Even if he liked Roloson better, zero reason to pay him 5 mil over 2 when the others didnt even get near 4 mil over 2. Such a horrible GM.

  125. 125 19404ever

    I tell ya what, my first thought was “a 40 year old”, BUT, after looking at it closely, he fits the plan for the next two years and is an experienced goaltender that can come up big for us. Garth, so far, so good. Like the rest of in Isles land, AND, especially after the Rags signing Brashear, how about a little muscle to go along with the “wrecker”??? PLEASE??? I don’t know about everyone else, but man, I cannot wait for the season to start, first home game and first game against those stinkin Rags!

  126. 126 Jim M

    (#120) Do you honestly want to go through another season like the one we just experienced? Everyone is hoping that DP can be healthy so the isles can be competitive again but even if he doesnt play this season, with the growth of our younger talent and the addition of a goaltender that can actually handle 50 games I do not see the islanders contending for the lottery next year.

  127. 127 steve

    solid move. if DP is good to go, the team isnt hung up on a long term deal. if DP is not ready, and isn’t gonna recover, the team isn’t hung up on a long deal, and can make moves if the 2009 second and third round picks aren’t NHL caliber players. in two years, i believe the Isles will know if the 2 goalies are NHL class. don’t make a good move the enemy.
    look at some of the names, numbers and length of deals getting tossed about today. love the NHL network, and the job TSN is doing this afternoon.

  128. 128 Danielle

    To everybody who is concerned about his age (I mean all you have to do is look at his games played and GAA to be reassured but if not..), I use this as an example. My boyfriend plays in an 18+ league and one of the best goalies of all the teams is over 40, even close to 50. And he’s awesome.

    Roloson is old and solid. DP is young and fragile. It’s definitely not about age.

  129. 129 GPMD

    Sean..

    Anderson and Conklin have never been able to get and maintain a starting position over the course of their careers. Roloson is a proven commodity coming off yet another stellar season, despite his “advanced hockey age”.

    Fantastic signing Garth.. now please for get some toughness for the love of god!

  130. 130 Warren

    Okay Islander fans that was a great save by Snow . Lets see if he can continue and get the hat trick or I know one thing he’s not going to be shutout this year. So keep the faith and on to the challenge for the “CUP”

  131. 131 RHL Vin

    Looks like Rolly is gonna be our only free agent pick up. Thats somewhat disapointing…..

  132. 132 Jim Clark

    Were Johnny Bower or Glenn Hall unavailable?

    Another blunder for the Abominable Snowman. I’d rater take a chance on Yann Danis or some other kid than to bring in a 40 year old for two years whose team hasn’t made the playoffs in the last three years.

    Yup, a 40 year old goalie for the worst team in the league. Our youth movement continues.

  133. 133 Thomas

    I am in the against camp..I haven’t read the contracts, but it sounds like younger goalies got less money elsehwere..a 40 year old goalie really? If what people are saying above we overpaid him. Seems to be the only way to get anyone to come here. Gueren took a pay cut to stay with Pitt..I know the FA season was not going to generate much, but at this point I would have rather they did nothing.

  134. 134 bob l

    anyone know what happens if a team is under the minimum CAP level?

  135. 135 19 ISLE in NJ 22

    With Anderson and Conklin off the table this is definitely a good signing … Realistically Anderson and Conklin weren’t going to take short term deals to play behind or share with DP … So in this situation Roloson is the perfect fit for the Isles at this point.

    I also can see Rolo mentoring DP where Snow had left off … I always thought one of the huge advantages of having Snow as GM was he could continue mentoring DP … well … Snow can’t hold his hand from the press box.

    Golf clap for Snow for pulling out the best scenario for the situation … not a permanent solution … but a solution none the less.

    Thumbs Up!

  136. 136 Isle be Damned

    not my #1 choice, but a very good choice none the less. His age is a bit of a concern, but with the NYI drafting an older goalie in the 2nd round, having a stop gap type guy like Roloson makes perfect sense. Let’s just hope DiPietro can be healthy enough for 40 or so games this year.

  137. 137 Joe in Massapequa

    Good signing by Snow. The fans up in Canada are praising it (as per TSN’s feedback section on the Roloson article).

  138. 138 Danielle

    #133 Really? Goalies don’t score goals, so even if a goalie has a good season and his team can’t score enough, they don’t make playoffs. You can’t attribute an entire team’s performance to one player.

    Signing ANYBODY would have been better than what we had before.

  139. 139 AngryPete

    hey, if things don’t work out so well with Roloson …. he can always be our GM

  140. 140 Geli

    Comparing Roloson to Clemensen and Anderson when saying younger goalies got less money, etc, is laughable. Neither of those guys ever carried a team in the playoffs. Who cares if he’s 40, we didn’t need someone for the next 5 years, we needed someone for next year, maybe the one after. We got the best goalie that would accept a short term deal, it’s that simple. Those that complain about him, I garantee you didn’t watch many Oiler games last year.

  141. 141 mike

    Rollie the goalie is better then DP.
    GREAT move Garth

  142. 142 mets/jets/isles

    Remember way back. Isles/ Rags. Wade Redden wouldnt fight,we better get someone to protect JT. There is no place for soft players. Division is getting tougher every day. Pronger/Flyers. Brashear/Rangers Leafs/Orr. where is our tough guy?

  143. 143 -Big Van Vader

    People, Roloson will be this years Mark Streit. What’s that? He’s 40 years old? (soon to be) So what? Last year, on an edmonton team that wasn’t very good, he was VERY good.

    Solid, Garth. Would like an enforcer for the young guys, though. Maybe Mick Vukota? Think Baumgartner is too old.
    And another solid d-man would be nice considering Martinek will be injured by game 20 and Sutton shortly thereafter.

    Next offseason should be the year we start getting the bigger names in FA.

    Can’t wait.

  144. 144 coral springs isle fan

    Build via the draft and plug holes in free agency. Garth has more money he MUST spend so don’t panic, there may be a good move down the road or perhaps a trade. A trade makes more sense to me. It may help with a teams cap problems and allows the Islanders to take away and add to their roster. I like the Roloson move. It is a nice stop gap solution and an upgrade over last years net minders. Hopefully DP is back in action and Roloson helps keep his workload down and gives the Isles flexibility on back to back nights.

  145. 145 Beezer

    very good fairly cheap signing. Rolo is an experienced netminder who has proven to work well in a tandem before. Plus he wont even have to change his pads.

  146. 146 Chris TMC

    Well put, 19 ISLE in NJ 22 (135).
    I agree with you, which does tend to happen. :D

  147. 147 coral springs isle fan

    Both Garth Snow and Scott Gordon have praised Rechlicz. If they do not get somebody in free agency and they are not happy with Rechlicz development from last year then there is always the waiver wire. Jackman made a real nice jump last year from the year prior. If guys work hard in the off-season and in camp they should improve. That is part of building. He got a taste last year and I’m certain the Isles communicated with him on what areas he needs to work on in the off-season. Rechlicz certainly is not afraid or intimidated, at the least he showed that last year. He had one heck of a fight against Philly last year.

  148. 148 Thomas

    Danielle…sorry I would contact directly but don’t know how to do that, my apologies CB…Yes really..Take out Danis’s horrible start and he was fine..He ended up 2.86 and .910 on a worse team and Roloson versus 2.77 and .915. on a slightly better team and the guy is FORTY…stick with Danis especially if this is another rebuilding year…makes no sense to me. I’d rather them take a shot in the dark on someone like Gaborik who NOONE in their right mind will be signing to a long term deal rather than clogging up this roster with a 40 year old goalie..makes zero sense to me sorry.

  149. 149 eric

    where the f is are enforcer. were going to get kill next year.

  150. 150 duff

    Danis was adequate for like 10 games, then reverted to his old craptastic ways of letting in super soft goals. Roloson is an upgrade in net, no doubt.

  151. 151 Bob Bassen

    Well….Roloson has been one of the best all-around goalies in the league the past few years…yeah, there is the age issue but if you think about Hasek, Belfour and Joseph playing quite well at the same age it isn’t that big of a deal.
    Great signing…I like it.
    Go Isles!

  152. 152 matt

    Chris Niel would have been a perfect fit for this team. Roloson was a horrid signing. What step forward have we taken?

  153. 153 M Howard

    I have a question: If the Isles are committed to their rebuilding plan, why are they signing a goalie who can steal a game or two? Isn’t the idea about rebuilding to lose and get high draft picks?

  154. 154 IsleofNJ

    Ogie Ogelthorpe 2 yrs/1.75 mil

  155. 155 Quez

    Great signing! Now Cammaleri and Scuderi or Komi and OFF to the playoffs!

  156. 156 Danielle

    I agree about Danis at first. I LOVED him at first, but he just turned into such a mess. Gave up so many garbage goals. I think he may need another season in Bridgeport.

  157. 157 concanky

    some of you people have no idea how rebuilding works. we dont want to spend money now on the big name free agents to try to “be competitive” again. thats how teams get stuck in the middleground of barely making the playoffs each yr and getting mid 1st rd draft picks. we need to stick with our roster of young guys and let them develop. the penguins had 4 yrs in arow with the top 2 picks and look how that turned out! Patience, then greatness. Not mediocrity now.

  158. 158 Chris TMC

    M Howard (153): Nah, that is not “rebuilding”, that is “tanking”. They are commonly confused but are actually quite different. :)

  159. 159 Rick

    Great signing by the Isles

  160. 160 jonw

    Love what the Isles have done at the goaltending position with the draft and now free agency.This signing buys time for DP to get healthy and allows for the growth and development of some of the younger minders specifically Mikko.

  161. 161 isles99

    if garth’s plan is to finish 24th instead of being in the lottery agaain, then this is a good signing…the point of a revuild is to lise accumulate high picks…its a fact some of you dont want to face

  162. 162 Battfist

    Im with CB-this only makes the Isles a better team than last year. Good move by Garth.

    For those doubters-Conklin used to back up Roloson.

    Roloson brings leadership to the team too.

  163. 163 Ben

    I can’t believe it, Cammalleri has signed with Montreal for 6 mil - 5 years!

  164. 164 Jason

    Apparently Wang has a thing for goalies who’s contracts expire when they’re in their 40s.

  165. 165 derek

    komisarek is now a maple laugh

  166. 166 Kevin Fitz

    bye bye komi

  167. 167 isles99

    i wonder if the islanders were the other team in on komisarek? we’ll never know…..anyways aqnything more than 4.5 mill for 5 years is a joke for a sat at home d-man

  168. 168 Crackhead Theo

    A healthy Andy Sutton = Mike Komisarek

    So enough with this Komisarek nonsense. If he wasnt from LI, nobody would care…

  169. 169 TIM

    i heard it was between the isles and the leafs god i hate the leafs just as much as the rags oh well

  170. 170 isles316

    Komisarek is over rated. Don’t worry guys. Beauchamin is a better player and I hope we get him.

  171. 171 Justin

    They said on TSN that the Isles were in on Komisarek right toward the end.

  172. 172 Akeem

    #10,
    DP at this point doesnt need “positive influences”. Regardless of his production, he’s a bona fide veteran on this team, and was one of the unquestioned leaders of the team before he went down, particularly in ‘06-’07. He’s always been one of the hardest workers on the team, and not the one for whom we need to acquire a veteran presence.

  173. 173 Dan

    Caught you on NHL radio Chris nice job. Komisarek not worth $6 mil a year.

  174. 174 TIM

    wow were gonna have lots of injuries again this year…..look at our average size we will get creamed by eastern conference opponents smallest team in the east by far

  175. 175 LouD

    ChrisTMC,naaaah, it is called rebuilding and noone is confusing anything. Actually the only people confused are the ones who keep wondering why the Islanders aren’t signing more free agents. For some reason nobody believed Snow when he said they were sticking with there young guys so they could develop in the NHL. Everyone wants to sign this guy and that one and I guess they expect the team to send a bunch of young players, who played in the NHL for an entire year, back down to the minors which in turn would push some of our developmental kids out the door. Then we would have these free agents for two years, go nowhere, lose them to free agency, and have little talent in the minors to chose from. Sound farmiliar? It should because it’s the exact thing the Isles have been doing for the past 15 years and is one of the main reasons we’re in this position today. Nobody tanks it in June/July as that doesn’t come until around March.

  176. 176 Islander505

    “A healthy Andy Sutton = Mike Komisarek”

    Uttering the phrase “a healthy Andy Sutton” is like saying “a decent deli sandwich in the 505″, it may happen once every coupla months.

  177. 177 TIM

    gotta remember that if we had no rebuild right now, and we were just gonna patch things up like we use to, we would have over 20 million dollars to spend right now,komi,cammy,hossa,gaborik they might be islanders by now, but this is a rebuilding team and this is reality as much as i think we are to small( only edmonton is as small as the islanders)i hope garth at least addresses the toughness part cause we are gonna get pushed around in the atlantic division

  178. 178 19 ISLE in NJ 22

    Well … we got “Rollie the Goalie Part Duex” for a good price … Garth is getting another bargain and fills the situation at hand pretty good.

    I notice other GM’s have lost their sense of fiscal responsability … Will Cammi and Kommi be this year’s version of Drury and Gomez??

    The price for an enforcer is going to start going up as they come off the table … so I hope Garth’s got a deal in place for this evening.

  179. 179 jonw

    CB, I could be wrong but minus the RFA’s the Isles are still sitting roughly 6-7m below the supposed salary floor

  180. 180 Matt

    “Garth Snow Sleeping”

    ACT I: TODAY

    SNOW:
    zzzz

    WANG:
    Garth wake up, Free Agents are available. Free Agents are available. We need to get a goalie!

    GARTH:
    I’m up, I’m up. Don’t worry Mr. Wang, I didn’t forget. You know how I love goalies. Goalies can do anything! I used two really high draft picks on young ones last week…so I’ll overspend to get an old one today.

    WANG:
    Ooh, I love old goalies. Big ones, tall ones, even Sumo ones. Go get one, and when he is done playing I can make him head of my Lighthouse construction team.

    SNOW:
    Wow, really?

    WANG:
    Yes, as you said, I think being a backup goalie makes you qualified for anything. In 15 years, I am going to make Ricky GM of a hospital I plan on building in Hicksville…Lord knows, he has seen the inside of enough of them.

    SNOW:
    Good plan boss. I’ll get one who is especially close to retirement…

    WANG:
    Ok, don’t spend too much elsewhere. I need to make sure we have enough money for that extra floor in the skyscraper I want to build in Ronkonkoma.

    GARTH:
    Don’t worry, after the old goalie. I plan on going back to sleep anyway.

    ACT 2:

    DATE: December 10, 2009.

    A beaten and battered John Tavares skates off the Nassau Coliseum ice in immense pain

    ACT 3:

    Free Agent Signing Deadline 2010.

    GARTH:
    zzzz.

    WANG:
    Garth wake up! We can sign Free Agents today..

    GARTH:
    Yeah, lets do it…I was reading Botta’s blog and he said we should get a tough guy and maybe a scoring winger. It would suck if young Hall ends up with no help upfront like JT last year.

    WANG:
    Yeah it would…

    GARTH:
    …Or… we could pick up a goalie?

    WANG:
    Ooh, I love goalies! You are the best hire I ever made!

    GARTH:
    Thanks Boss

    WANG:
    I’m a real estate guy at heart and I just love rebuilding.

    GARTH:
    I know boss.

    WANG (looking longingly at Garth):
    We can rebuild forever.

    Garth and Wang walk arm and arm to Kansas City…

    THE END

  181. 181 JD

    Welcome to the Island, DR!

  182. 182 MickeyBoy7

    Look, I actually think this is a good signing BUT I have to point out to all you optimistic and happy fans that the MO is the same every year around here in Islander country when it comes to free agency. Every big name is discussed and predicted to be signed but in the end we only grab the bargain basement guys and hope they shock the world with their new team. Let’s face it we are bottom feeders who thankfully HAVE to spend some money just to reach the legal cap MINIMUM. So every signing will have fans glowing about what a good deal it is…but really…it’s just wishful thinking.

  183. 183 mjbr24

    Neil re-signed with Ottawa, Gionta to Habs and Gaborik to Rags.

  184. 184 Priest

    Excellent signing. I don’t think there was anything possibly better available. I got half my wish list list today I guess. I as really hoping for Neil, and would’ve given him more than Ottawa did.

  185. 185 anthony c

    Amazingly (and not to jinx roloson) he gets better as he gets older from what most people have said. And at 2.5 per year is a bargain. Like most goalies who reach their late 30’s near 40 is when they are completely break down cause they got some mileage on them. Roloson has usually shared time in his carreer like he did in minnesota for quite a few years. I really like this signing. Gives us insurance if DP is not 100%. Good job garth, now if we sign a blueliner, a tough forward then we will be in good shape going into camp. Still shocked over komisarek going to toronto. As well as that 12 years deal hossa got from the blackhawks. I think the hawks might be ready to take over the western conference

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