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What will the Isles do about their goaltending?

Evgeni Nabokov

For all the accolades the New York Islanders received during their first-round series with heavily favored Pittsburgh, the one area of their game that didn’t shine was goaltending.

And that’s an understatement.

In six games, veteran netminder Evgeni Nabokov allowed 24 goals, finishing with a save percentage of .842.

Nabokov is 37 and can become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Isles do, of course, have another goalie under contract (which is also an understatement), but Rick DiPietro -- who was sent to AHL Bridgeport this season -- can’t really be considered a viable option if New York wants to build on this year.

Kevin Poulin, 23, and Anders Nilsson, 23, are in the organization. The Isles could always re-sign Nabokov for one more year and give those two a chance to show their stuff.

However, if they want to be more aggressive...

Roberto Luongo

Everyone knows why they shouldn’t do this. Luongo is 34 years old and has a contract that runs through 2021-22. A year ago, this wouldn’t have even been worth discussing, as Luongo would’ve been unlikely to waive his no-trade clause to go to Long Island. But things have changed since then. Luongo wants to start somewhere, and New York -- with a good young team and a move to a new rink coming soon -- doesn’t seem like such a bad destination anymore. It’s also conceivable Isles GM Garth Snow could convince the Canucks to retain some of Luongo’s salary, assuming something of value (expect to hear Nino Niederreiter’s name pop up in trade rumors) goes to Vancouver.

Jonathan Bernier

The 24-year-old former first-round pick is coming off a solid season as Jonathan Quick’s backup in Los Angeles. Bernier went 9-3-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. So for obvious reasons, he won’t come cheap. And if the Isles are interested, they won’t be the only ones.

Ryan Miller

The longtime Sabres’ netminder has a limited no-trade clause (per CapGeek) in which he can list eight teams to which he won’t accept a trade. Miller has one year left on his contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent, so if the Isles do pursue him (and he’s willing to go there), they’ll want to make sure they can re-sign him to an extension. Because like Bernier, he won’t be cheap to get.

Unrestricted free-agent goalies include Minnesota’s Niklas Backstrom and Phoenix’s Mike Smith. The former is 35 and somewhat injury prone; the latter is 31 and will be seeking big money.