Evgeni Nabokov was picked up on waivers by the New York Islanders, but like anyone else who would be picked up by the Islanders, he doesn’t want to play there. Nabokov wanted to sign a deal with the Detroit Red Wings. So what did the Islanders do because he said he wouldn’t play? They suspended him so he can’t play! It seems like the equivalent of “You can’t quit! You’re fired!”
Veteran goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has been indefinitely suspended by the New York Islanders for failing to report to the team, according to CBS Sports.
On Jan. 20, the 35-year old Russian goaltender signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. However, because of NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, Nabokov had to pass through waivers first.
The Islanders swooped in and picked up Nabokov on Saturday, a move that frustrated the longtime netminder, as he was hoping to sign with a title contender, not a team with one of the league’s worst records. Nabokov is now refusing to report to the Islanders, but they aren’t letting him get off that easy as owner Charles Wang hinted they would not release him back to the waiver wire.
The Islanders could keep Nabokov out for all of next season if he does not report. –NESN.
Nowhere in the article does it say Nabokov was suspended without pay. I’m not exactly sure what the punishment is if he doesn’t get his salary taken away from him. He’s probably benefiting from not being embarrassed in an arena that has very few people watching. Is that obligatory? Am I looking too thoroughly at a mid-season acquisition for a team with no chance in the playoffs? That’s rhetorical.
There would normally be a predictable Jay Cutler joke here, but I’ll leave it to the commenters to make much better ones. I’m making this site interactive now. It’s like you get to finish your own funny post where you add all the funny stuff!
