A burning question is whether Rick DiPietro should even be playing right now. He was expected to come back this weekend and right on cue he is playing tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now what is the point of having him play right now if the team is so bad?
DiPietro holding down the fort. (Getty Images)
The problem here is that how long will it be before DiPietro gets so ticked off that he loses it. Oh wait…that already happened in practice. Yes indeed, according to at least two sources I know, Rick DiPietro broke a 300 dollar hockey stick the other day in disgust. So simply the Islanders have been outshot by a wide margin after two periods. It will be interesting to see how things progress along.
Right now I am just one that is for protecting your investment. You have to pay Rick Dipietro for a decade plus yet and granted that is only 4.5 million per season but still that is a chunk of change for a team that does not generate a ton of revenue. The team is in the midst of a ten game losing streak, the coach and GM are under some fire, and now you bring back DiPietro without any real conditioning period. This just reeks of Snow trying to save his hide. Maybe some do not think it does but I sure think it does!!!
Keep in mind, DiPietro has had 3 procedures done in the last 7 months. The Isles would not even announce which knee DiPi had done that caused him to miss 2 months. In his third season of a 15 year deal…Islander fans are very anxious to say the least and I do not blame them. Everyone remembers the Alexei Yashin contract (albatross) and how that buyout is hitting them cap-wise…..the Isles do not want to see that with DiPietro supposedly. Then why not let him play down in the minors or rehab a little longer. Some will say this injury is only a six week injury but with the nature of Dipietro….and the way the team is playing….why not wait till the All-Star Break? Consider that the Isles are pretty much out of the playoff hunt already anyway.
I have debated this with many people over the past couple weeks and there have been varying opinions. Some Islander fans want him in because well….the Islanders need to see what he can do now. That is a valid point folks. With any delicate decision like this, there will be great points made by many people and varying opinions at that. If DiPietro can keep it together, the Isles can at least have a chance at performing at a respectable level. If not, this Islander team spirals even more out of control than it is already.
I do not even want to think about what happens if DiPietro gets hurt again. How many more procedures can he take? Realistically, you have to think that management did not realize how fragile DiPietro was. Yes, he is fragile moreso because of how he plays the game than anything else. Sorry Islander fans, the truth is the truth here.
DiPietro is a great talent…I will not dispute that. He handles the puck so well and has the ability to be an elite goaltender. The only problem is that the team and his health have held him back. His best year was 2006-2007 with a 2.58 GAA, a .919 save percentage, and a 32-19-9 record. Can he get back to those levels? The reality is not with this team and maybe not with this franchise. I feel sorry for every Islander fan because what this managment is putting on the ice is not matching the system.
Until Scott Gordon gets “his” players….DiPietro does not have a snowball’s chance in hell as far as having a season like he enjoyed two years ago. The reality is he may need a little more practice and playing against Toronto may just in the long run have been too much, too soon. Only time will tell on this one.
