Can DiPietro/Roloson Be Effective Sharing Crease?

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/10/2010 11:53:00 PM | |


This entry is done under the presumption Rick DiPietro will make it through camp, open the season, and remain healthy, regardless of some what folks may think about that.

DiPietro has not seen many games/pucks for two years, improvement to his former level does not happen in a vacuum, nor does someone shake two years of not playing and emerge near the player they used to be, it takes time.

Which brings us to Dwayne Roloson, who was outstanding last season. He started with some ot losses, some poor goals, but once he won the job from Biron and saw steady work, the better he played which he made clear during interviews.

DiPietro returned on 1/8, less games for Roloson changed the level of his play, he was not the same goalie after 1/12. Some solid individual games, but never quite getting back to the very high level he was at for a sustained stretch.

What some will forget is the Olympic break absolutely would eventually have had the same effect, but whether it be Biron after the break or DiPietro, who returned on 1/8, Roloson never got back to the level he was at earlier.

This makes former goaltender Scott Gordon's problem, what if Dwayne Roloson must be used as he was last season before 1/12? What if DiPietro cannot regain his skills playing part of the time or flat out needs a full year (or longer) to raise his game back to where it was when he was an all-star?

As an Islander fan who have seen both goaltenders play for years, I see a problem here. It's not about either players ability to work together, or willingness to share the crease if necessary, but simply can they come off the bench when needed and win/steal some games when required, maintaining a high playing level.

What if both these goaltenders simply need to play number one minutes to be as effective as the club will need for this team to be in contention? Roloson's last year in Edmonton suggests he needs to start. DiPietro's earlier years sharing the crease with Garth Snow suggests he needed to start.

I keep looking at this and it brings me to Nate Lawson, who played in a straight goalie rotation at Bridgeport last season on a low-scoring club, and for a second season posted a .920 save percentage.

No, I'm not suggesting Lawson is making the club, despite three goalies in Bridgeport for two spots. Last year even without DiPietro, Bridgeport had three goalies before Koskinen got injured, and the AHL weekend-centric schedule makes it much different.

No, not a chance Roloson is being traded unless this club is out of contention at the trade deadline, or even if DiPietro returns to his sixty game forum far sooner than anyone could have expected.

What I do see here is a potential problem, despite DiPietro's return healthy, a great positive in the long-term for this franchise.

Some Notes From Friday:
* I believe prospect camp opens Monday with the Bruins games, Wednesday and Thursday in Boston.

* Kirill Petrov played eight minutes in Ak Bars second game. David Towes made his debut for Brandon Friday, but will be in Islander camp, so don't draw conclusions yet based on who is playing where for a little longer. An entry was done on this, it's past late. Ak Bars owns his rights, they can allow him to come to camp or remind Petrov he has has a binding contract/obligation, unless he wants to give back his income.

Islanders website last month put him on the projected list for Boston prospect games.

* Tons of twitter updates with new interviews/Bobby Hughes signing with another team/Jeremy Colliton #27 among new road jersey's available, which had updated rosters as of Friday w/correct player numbers, all prospects.

*Petteri Nokelainen is among several former Islanders on the outside entering camp, Bruins media giving more information on games next week than Islanders, but no shock there.

* Daily News new Ranger beatwriter contacted Islander player rep Bruno Gervais on Donald Fehr, but his boss sends no one to camp or informal workouts?

* Yes folks, Peter Botte has a twitter account, it's not Islander centric at all or I would add it to media sidebar beyond link. We'll be lucky to see his work before Yankee season ends.

* No Msg Islander/studio replacement for Butch Goring announced at this time.

* Other print media added to twitter section.

* Almost seems like NHL.com has to make up for the Islanders lack of print media, don't count on that for long.

* No mistakes this year on NYIFC domain renewal because that was done today, so regardless what happens these pages will remain visible all season, I can now promise you that much.

* Going back to labeling blog entries for those who asked.



New York Islander Fan Central Twitter Page
Bookmark and Share
Subscribe