I'm not going to claim to be an insider or anything. I have no idea what goes on in the Islander lockeroom, who talks or is popular among the players.
All I see is what happens during the games and to me it begs a fair question be asked and one I have been wanting to ask for a while.
If Alexei Yashin who had an outstanding start and carried the club into December two years ago scored forty percent of the offense with Jason Blake and Chris Simon on his line can be sent home for ineffective play because he was playing hurt and ineffective how come Ted Nolan did not apply the same standard to Miroslav Satan this year and force him to sit until he could be effective?
Let me refresh you to Yashin's circumstances. He injured his knee on a ninety point pace, missed a few weeks, came back early, had a good game but was injured again and clearly could not move on his knee. Anyone watching could see him in obvious pain.
Ted Nolan let him play about eighteen games where he had maybe a goal, was clearly slowed and totally ineffective before he finally sent him home and basically ran him down in the press telling everyone he would not play until he could contribute as if he had no tolerance for a player trying to play with an injury on one leg.
This year Miroslav Satan did not look good early, aside from a few brief flashes. I do not know when he specifically got hurt but after missing a game the team announcing he has an injury that should sideline him for eight weeks kept playing and for the most part was terrible. He did not contribute on the scoresheet.
So how come Ted Nolan did not apply the same standard for Satan, who has been ineffective for most of the last two seasons?
Alexei Yashin when he finally returned produced ten critical points to help the club make the playoffs and two key goals against the Rangers, one in the third period.
Someone needs to tell me what the difference is here because I'm not seeing it. Viktor Kozlov when he signed with Washington also felt there was a double-standard against his friend.
It should be noted Yashin's fifty points in fifty eight games was greater than any one player on this years roster.
If Yashin's buyout was on Ted Nolan's opinion it gives the owner fair reason to ask questions because the loss of his offense hurt the roster whether he was popular with the media or not.