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Jaroslav Halak had one of the weirdest seasons a player can have. The goalie watched from the sidelines as Thomas Greiss led the Islanders to the second round for the first time in 23 years. Halak got healthy last offseason and proved it in the World Cup of Hockey as he led Team Europe to the Gold Medal game. When he reported to the Islanders training camp the same issue arose as it did the previous season, three goalies were on the roster.
Halak voiced his displeasure following the 2015-16 season but it fell on deaf ears. Halak was healthy heading into the season but general manager Garth Snow, fearing he might lose Jean-Francois Berube on waivers, decided to keep three goalies on the 23-man roster.
When the regular season opened, Halak was between the pipes against the Rangers. He struggled at the beginning of the season going 3-6-4 with a 3.08 GAA and a .904 save percentage. The three-goalie system clearly weighed on Halak so much that he took his frustration to his agent, Allan Walsh, who sent out a few tweets criticizing the situation. Snow did not take too lightly to that and explored a trade for Halak, but found no takers.
It all game to a head when Halak allowed four goals on 24 shots in Minnesota and was pulled midway through the second period. Then head coach Jack Capuano ripped Halak for his performance.“It’s a tough loss,” Capuano said. “It’s too bad. Jaro wasn’t sharp at all. Some soft goals to start, and then we had to battle our way back in. We needed a better effort from Jaro, quite honestly. Four goals on 24 shots isn’t going to get it done.”
Halak did not speak to reporters following the game and the next day he was waived. Once he cleared he reported to Bridgeport.
The former all-star took he demotion like a man and played incredible hockey. In 27 games, Halak posted a 17-7-1 record with a 2.15 GAA, .925 save pct. and two shutouts. Every player I spoke with in Bridgeport, including head coach Brent Thompson, praised Halak for his work ethic. "I think Jaro came down with an amazing attitude. He was gonna work hard and he was gonna prove that he was a great goalie and that he should be in the NHL. I think his professionalism was surprising to some. The first day the guys were shock that he was the first to the rink and was active in warmups and one of the hardest workers on the ice. "
The Islanders recalled Halak towards the end of March and arguably was the best goalie in the league. He went 6-1-0 with a 1.58 GAA and a .949 save pct. Had Snow swallowed his pride and brought Halak up sooner, the Islanders would have made the playoffs.
I would imagine all is still not forgiven between Snow and Halak and I would expect the general manager to try to move the goalie who has one year left on his contract that carries a 4.5 million cap hit.
2016/17 Final Grade: C
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