Saturday, January 1, 2011

Islanders Trade Roloson to Lightning

First, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Now, onto the news. The Islanders have traded 41-year old goaltender Dwayne Roloson to the Tampa Bay Lightning for 22-year old defenseman Ty Wishart. Wishart will report to the Islanders' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Wishart, 22, was the San Jose Sharks’ first round draft choice, 16th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired by the Lightning in the deal that sent defenseman Dan Boyle to the Sharks. Currently in his third professional season, the 6’4”, 222-pound defenseman from Belleville, ON, has 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 31 games with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League.

The Islanders’ newest defenseman has played in five career NHL games, all with Tampa Bay, and recorded one assist with an even rating. In 173 career AHL games with Norfolk and the Worcester Sharks, Wishart has 14 goals and 43 assists for 57 points. Before turning pro, Wishart played four years of junior hockey in the Western Hockey League with the Prince George Cougars and the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Roloson has a 6-13-1 record this season with a 2.64 goals against average (GAA) and a .916 save percentage. The Simcoe, ON, native has a 196-229-42-33 career record with a 2.64 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 532 NHL games. Roloson is just the 11th goaltender in NHL history to play a game after his 41st birthday.

This could turn out to be a good deal for the Islanders because long term, Wishart projects as a top pairing defenseman who plays a lot of minutes and who contributes at both ends of the ice.

Wishart has excellent size, is mobile and has the hockey sense to be a dominant defenseman. He possesses good offensive tools with a heavy shot and good vision in the offensive zone. He does not play the punishing game that is expected of a player of his size, but he is a skilled defender who knows how to use positioning and angles to his advantage. Wishart has continued to improve in two seasons at the AHL level and is on the cusp of being NHL-ready.

I am willing to bet that Wishart comes up to play full-time for the Islanders in a few weeks and when he does, he probably will play big minutes.

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