Islanders get backup ’tender
Th e opening of free agency went pretty much according to plan — at least for the Islanders.
On a day when there were major shake-ups all around the NHL, Isles general manager Garth Snow wasted no time in making the one move he was most focused on, signing a goalie to back up Jaroslav Halak. Mi nu t e s after the market opened at noon on Wednesday, Snow inked 29-yearold Thomas Greiss to a two-year, $3 million deal. Greiss played last season with the Penguins, posting a 9-6-3 record with a .908 save percentage and 2. 59 goals-against average while backing up MarcAndre Fleury.
Michal Neuvirth was the understudy to Halak at the end of last season, but he found a two-year, $3.25 million deal to back up Steve Mason with the Flyers.
The Islanders then made off i cial the re-signing of defenseman Thomas Hickey, who was locked up with a three-year, $6.6 million deal. Hickey, 26, was the No. 4-overall pick in the 2007 draft, and had been picked up off waivers from the Kings three seasons ago. In his time with the Island- ers, the diminutive blueliner has shown intelligence and dependability.
Snow then got another formality out of the way by signing his third-round pick from 2008, 25-year-old Russian forward Kirill Petrov, to a one-year entry-level deal.
The Isles did suffer some losses, though not ones they tried to stop.
Matt Do n ova n , the 25-year-old depth defenseman, signed a one-year deal with the Sabres. Kael Mouillierat, a physical forward who played six games with the Isles last season, signed a deal with the Penguins.
There are still some targeted areas for Snow, including adding some veteran depth at both forward and defense. But he has made it clear he is not too interested in the topend talent available.
“We ’ v e been patient through the rebuild,” Snow told The Post on Tuesday, “and now we’re looking tot make the next step.”
Though he is continuing to listen to trade offers for Kyle Okposo and Michael Grabner, who are set to be unrestricted free agents after this coming season, Snow is not willing to dump them on the cheap. Yet with almost $10 million of cap room left, there is little holding back Snow from making a trade.