The New York Islanders have announced the signing of Jaroslav Halak. Halak has agreed to a 4 year deal worth 18 million dollars. The Isles had recently acquired the goalie's rights from the Capitals in a deal that sent a fourth round pick back to Washington D.C.
Halak will finally provide some stability in net that has been lacking for the Islanders. Now it will be interesting to see what Islanders' General Manager Garth Snow will do with the backup goalie position. With that being said, it is encouraging that Snow aggressively addressed this problem before the draft. Last season July 1st came and went and it appears that the Islanders had to settle on a goalie.
Halak has a history of being able to play well in front of a young defense. His numbers have been solid no matter where has played from Montreal, to St. Louis and even his brief time in Washington. Regardless of what happens at the draft and the start of free agency, we will have some reassurance that there will be some stability between the pipes.