Evgeni Nabokov Suspended By New York Islanders...Party On Garth...NOT!!

It appears that the soap opera surrounding the Detroit Red Wings' signing of Evgeni Nabokov has come to an end - for now.

After being claimed off waivers by the New York Islanders, Nabokov refused to report to the club.

This left Islanders GM Garth Snow with a few options.

First, he could have simply put Nabokov back on waivers and allow another team, though very likely not the Detroit Red Wings, to pick him up.

Second, he could have tried to broker a deal to trade Nabokov to another team. 

Now this would have also included moving forward with option one as Nabokov would still have to clear waivers in order for any such deal to go down.  However, it could have potentially worked out well for both sides.

Snow's third option, and least professional of all, would be to suspend Nabokov for not reporting to the team, thus, guaranteeing that he would not be playing for anyone in the NHL this season.

Yeah, that last option being the "least professional" should have tipped you off that that would be exactly what Snow would do, and that's exactly what he has done.

Whether or not Garth Snow actually crossed his arms, stuck out his lip and said, "If I can't have you, no one will" after he made the suspension official I don't know, but, his actions suggest as much.

As the last NHL team to rule over a true dynasty (the Isles won the Cup four straight years, 1980-84), one would hope that, at some point, they'd pay tribute to their past greatness by getting their act together and operating as a real NHL franchise rather than the 'Slapshot-esque' unit they've come to resemble.

From handing out ludicrous 15-year contracts (and this was before the New Jersey Devils made it sheik), to seriously suggesting the team hire sumo wrestlers to play goal, to promoting their back-up goalie to GM, literally over night, the Islanders, under the so-called "leadership" of owner Charles Wang, are about as respected by their peers as they are high in the standings.

Look, Snow had to of known that Nabokov's signing with Detroit (which included a no-movement clause) was not a just a quick, convenient way for him to get back in the NHL, but a true and honest attempt to join the Detroit Red Wings.

That he would have to clear waivers was a condition Nabokov was aware of at the time he put pen to paper.

That he'd be forced to play for any team that claimed him was never an option.

I bring this up because, Snow seems to think this to be the case.

Why else would he sign Nabokov and then decide to scuttle his season once he found out he had no intention of donning an Islanders sweater?

If Snow had class, or even a sense of professional courtesy,  he would have simply put Nabokov back on waivers once it was established playing goal on the Island was not going to be an option.

Nabokov signed with Detroit, not New York.

Though he may not have ever made it through to Motown, playing for the Islanders isn't something any veteran player would relish given their stature in the NHL and Snow should be self-aware enough to understand this.

Snow seems to approach his job as GM as loosely and haphazardly as he did when he played goal.

His tongue-in-cheek comments to the media upon news surfacing that Nabokov first hung-up on Snow, then told him he would not report to the team (in Snow's view, because Nabokov might have had dinner reservations or an anniversary to attend to) suggest he's well aware that he's the heart of the joke that is the New York Islanders.

Snow's unprofessional, even childish suspension of Nabokov isn't surprising, but it is bad form, even for the Islanders.

Should Snow want to keep this farce going, he does have one more option.

Now that Nabokov is suspended, Snow can "toll" his contract for next season.

That means that he could force Nabokov to honor his one year contract next season and still keep him on suspension.

This would essentially hold Nabokov captive for all of the 2011-12 season.

That would be even more recalcitrant, juvenile, not to mention utterly useless to his team, than what he has done today.

So, I guess that means would should expect that news to come over the summer.

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