After some acrimony, Lubomir Visnovsky is officially an Islander.
That’s the word out of New York today as the club announced an NHL arbitrator upheld the draft day trade that saw Anaheim ship Visnovsky to the Isles.
The 36-year-old rearguard filed a grievance in July trying to reverse the deal, claiming his no-trade clause was still valid.
The confusion stemmed from when Visnovsky waived his NTC upon being traded from Edmonton to Anaheim in 2010.
Visnovsky, while somehow saying that he’d play for the Islanders if the trade went through, maintained that he had a valid no-trade clause that he didn’t invoke when the Ducks acquired him from the Edmonton Oilers in 2010. The arbitrator felt differently.
The issue dates back to 2007 when Visnovsky inked a 5-year extension with the Los Angeles Kings, a contract that included a NTC. He was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in June 2008, one day before the new contract and no-trade clause were set to kick in. At the 2010 trade deadline, Visnovsky was on the move back to California, this time going to the Ducks.
The question now? How awkward things will be when Visnovsky reports to the team.
Newsday’s Arthur Staple reported the Isles weren’t happy when Visnovsky filed the grievance, and there’s still that whole “might play overseas if there’s a lockout” angle that could play out.
UPDATE: According to BD Gallof of CBS New York/WFAN, Visnovsky will report to the Islanders (as per his agent.)