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New York Islanders Wisely Recall Jaroslav Halak

By Nick Ziegler

Dec 29, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Islanders 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Islanders 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Islanders recently recalled goalie Jaroslav Halak from the AHL. Is this the right move by the team?

After a thrilling 3-2 win over the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders made the decision to recall goalie Jaroslav Halak.

Earlier in the season, it was made clear through his agent that Halak was not happy with his role on the Islanders. After trying to trade him, the Islanders eventually placed him on waivers. No team claimed Halak, and he went down to the AHL. For a goalie of Halak’s caliber, this was surely not something he was happy with.

Despite being in the AHL, Halak didn’t let that affect his on-ice performance. With the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Halak totaled 17-7-3 record and .925 save percentage. This were certainly good numbers for Halak, and now he will be returning to the Islanders.

One of the main reasons why Halak has been recalled is because of the ineffective play from Jean-Francois Berube. The decision to try and move on from Halak was because of the potential of Berube as a backup goalie for the Islanders. However, he hasn’t played well this season. So far this season, Berube has totaled a 3.42 GAA and .889 save percentage.

As the Islanders head into the stretch run, it is clear that Thomas Greiss could use a break. For the past month, Greiss has played in every game for the Islanders. With 10 games remaining on the schedule, getting Greiss a break without forfeiting a game would be great.

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Even though Halak hasn’t performed well for the Islanders this season, he is a better option right now than Berube. With a big weekend coming up for the Islanders, Halak will likely be starting against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. Due to Boston currently holding the final wild card spot, the Islanders would likely prefer Greiss to be the goalie for the crucial game on Saturday.

With the season almost over, it will be interesting to see if Halak can give the Islanders a spark with a few good starts.

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