Jaroslav Halak can be yours, free of charge.
The New York Islanders waived the veteran goaltender on Friday, one day after coach Jack Capuano ripped Halak following the team's 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild.
"Jaro wasn't sharp at all," Capuano told Newday's Arthur Staple following the loss. "He gave up some soft goals and we had to battle back."
Halak allowed four goals on just 24 shots before being relieved by backup Jean-Francois Berube.
No doubt Halak has struggled this season, finding just six wins in 21 games, while posting a career-worst GAA and his lowest save percentage since 2012-13, a season he spent with the St. Louis Blues.
In fact, New York has a winning record when it has called on fellow goalie Thomas Greiss, but it's not as if the club would be running away in the standings if not for Halak. As it stands, the Islanders own the second-worst record in the East, claiming a 14-15-6 record through 35 games.
| Goalie | GP | Record | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Greiss | 14 | 8-5-0 | 2.48 | .922 |
| Jaroslav Halak | 21 | 6-8-5 | 3.23 | .904 |
| J.F. Berube | 4 | 0-2-1 | 3.27 | .901 |
Several Islanders have underwhelmed more than one-third of the way through the season. Captain John Tavares leads the team with 25 points, but at 0.71 points per game, he is at his worst production of his career, save for his rookie campaign. Tavares is also just one of two Islanders to reach double-digit goals, with Anders Lee leading the way with 13.
Don't forget the World Cup
But it'd be shortsighted to think Halak's game is no longer there. That wasn't the case at the World Cup, where the Slovak-born netminder represented Team Europe and was arguably the MVP of the mish-mash team.
Through that six-game performance, Halak posted a 2.15 GAA and a .941 save percentage en route to Team Europe advancing to the best-of-three final versus the heavily-favored Canadians. There, Halak held his own against the world's best, and despite the two losses, allowed just five goals on 72 shots, good for a .931 rating in the final round.
The challenge is Halak's contract. He's owed $4.5 million against the salary cap for the remainder of this season and through 2016-17. As of Friday, just eight teams can absorb that payment.
One of those clubs is the Edmonton Oilers, who just happen to need a goaltending upgrade behind starter Cam Talbot.
Don't claim, but trade
It'd be a tough sell for Edmonton to claim Halak outright, given his underwhelming play and inflated salary. But what about sending back an ugly contract of their own, perhaps veteran defenseman Mark Fayne?
Fayne, 29, is off to Bakersfield, home of the Oilers' AHL club, after an injury-riddled season has limited him to just four games. On the hook for the same term as Halak, Fayne is owed slightly less, coming in at a $3.63 million AAV this year and next. Such a swap would save the Islanders just shy of $1 million on the cap each season.
For the Oilers, it allows them to upgrade their No. 2 man behind Talbot, that being Jonas Gustavsson.
Sitting second in the Pacific, Edmonton is on pace to end a 10-year drought by qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2006. A big reason for that has been the play of Talbot, who has been regularly called on by Oilers coach Todd McLellan.
In fact, Talbot has started all but four games this season. Gustavsson, however, seems to have lost the confidence of his club after his abysmal play - allowing 13 goals - in his minimal starts thus far.
That means Talbot is on pace to appear in 73 games this season. In other words, all but nine games. No other goalie has played as many games as Talbot this season, nor is any other netminder on pace to make more ice appearances.
In the end, the Oilers could make the playoffs for the first time in a decade, only to show up to the dance with an exhausted goalie.
Thankfully, Halak offers postseason experience of his own. Despite his struggles this season, Halak has proven to be a clutch goaltender when called upon. Not only was that evident with Team Europe, but no hockey fan can forget Halak's playoff performance with the Montreal Canadiens in 2010, when he nearly single-handedly stole rounds over the first place Washington Capitals followed by Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Make the money work and Edmonton would provide Talbot with a much-needed rest, while also bulking up their crease for a long-awaited playoff run. Halak's acquisition would be a no-lose for the Oilers.
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