http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=550041

According to a report on TSN, the Detroit Red Wings are close to signing free-agent goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.

Nabokov, who signed with the Kontinental Hockey League this summer after spending 10 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, parted ways with SKA St. Petersburg on Dec. 13, and hasn't played professionally anywhere since that date.

Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard has missed the past two games with a knee injury but is expected to start Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. He went 37-15-10 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .922 save percentage as a rookie last season but has not been as sharp in his sophomore season.

Howard is 22-7-3, but his 2.83 GAA and .906 save percentage rank him in the bottom half of the League.

Backup Chris Osgood is out 6-to-8 weeks after having sports hernia surgery Jan. 11. The Red Wings recalled Joey MacDonald from the AHL, but he went 1-1-1 and allowed 8 goals in his past two starts.

The 35-year-old Nabokov was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2008 and took the Sharks to the Western Conference Finals last season. He has 293 career wins to go along with a 2.39 GAA and .912 save percentage.

Nabokov would need to pass through waivers in order for the Red Wings to put him on the roster.

I lol'd today...

_________________
team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Or not.

-- Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood


yeah, that sounds about right... I'm pretty sure this was an "FU" move.

_________________
team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP)—Evgeni Nabokov(notes) gave off a poor first impression to Islanders general manager Garth Snow, but not bad enough to make New York sour on the veteran goalie it wants to add to the roster.

Snow reached out to the 35-year-old Nabokov on Saturday shortly after the Islanders claimed him from the Detroit Red Wings—the team with which Nabokov signed a one-year contract on Thursday. Snow said when he identified himself on the phone, Nabokov immediately hung up.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=a ... rs-nabokov

I don't know why, but this whole thing really amuses me... plus, its not like he's going to be of any value to the Wings when the playoffs start, he might as well suck it up and go the Islanders...

_________________
team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Nabokov is back-tracking after initially hanging up the NYI GM. His agent probably informed him that if he doesn't report this season, the Islander's will own him for next season too. He's better off reporting, playing for a few months and then he'll be a free agent again after this season.