The New York Islanders will finally get to add two pieces to their lineup on Saturday. (In case you’re wondering, Tim Thomas isn’t one of those guys.)
Erstwhile defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky and forward Josh Bailey are set to play against the Buffalo Sabres tonight after taking very different paths to Long Island.
As you likely already know, Visnovsky fought a trade that sent him from the Anaheim Ducks to the Islanders in the off-season. The 36-year-old kept busy with Bratislava in the KHL during the lockout and will finally begin to honor the last year of his NHL deal in today’s contest.
Meanwhile, Bailey had his knee scoped in January and appears healthy to play. The team went through the formality of suspending the 23-year-old for injury-related reasons but it doesn’t appear that there are any hard feelings.
However Visnovsky and Bailey might feel about the Islanders, they have plenty to gain by performing well. Each player is in the final year of their current contracts (Visnovsky will be unrestricted while Bailey is scheduled to be an RFA), so a lot can be gained if they push this team over the top to true contender status.