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Islanders place goalie Jaroslav Halak on waivers

By Dave Stevenson

Nov 10, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) makes a save against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 10, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) makes a save against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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In a surprising and baffling move, the New York Islanders have placed goaltender Jaroslav Halak on waivers.

It’s not a secret the New York Islanders’ future in net is questionable at best. They made the decision to keep three goalies on the roster to start the 2016-17 NHL season. With that idea no longer working, one of the goalies had to go. Many thought it would naturally be the least proven of the three, Jean-Francois Berube. However, they have made a surprising decision by deciding to put Jaroslav Halak on waivers instead.

The Islanders definitely have a goalie issue. However, putting Halak on waivers isn’t going to change much of anything. They were too afraid to put Berube on waivers in fear of losing him, yet they aren’t afraid to lose one of their two proven goaltenders? It’s a baffling move which makes very little sense.

Maybe the Islanders simply want to see more of Berube. But then why did they wait this long to give him a chance? Sure, Berube would need to go through waivers too. But even though teams need goaltending these days, it’s quite likely nobody would have claimed him back in October. Berube would have the benefit of more AHL experience and at least the benefit of having played consistently. He has merely four appearances under his belt this season, as of Dec. 30.

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Halak has a $4.5 million cap hit, making it difficult for any team to claim him. So, again, why wasn’t this done sooner? Did their faith in Berube suddenly change in his four appearances? Probably not. It’s a small sample size, but Berube has just a .901 save percentage this season. Putting Halak on waivers at the beginning of the season or trading him in the offseason would have made sense. Doing so now puts the front office in a situation that makes them look bad.

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