So The question is this: If the Islanders cannot entice a team into taking Rick DiPietro — cough, cough, Vancouver — will Charles Wang authorize an amnesty buyout of the goaltender, or will the Islanders instead use the netminder’s AHL cap hit in order to reach the floor?
It is believed general manager Garth Snow, not necessarily known as a truth-teller in his interaction with the press, has chatted with Canucks’ GM Mike Gillis about the possibility of a deal for Roberto Luongo, with DiPietro’s contract part of the package that would go the other way.
But as of yesterday, chances of that kind of a swap appeared remote. Which would leave the Islanders with a decision as they attempt to build something concrete off last season’s eighth-place finish and playoff taste.
DiPietro has eight seasons at $36 million remaining on his landmark 15-year deal that in some ways has turned out to be less an albatross than a life vest for the franchise that has employed smoke, mirrors, Nino Niederreiter and the ghost of Alexei Yashin to remain above the NHL cap floor.
Under the collective bargaining agreement adopted in January, clubs no longer can use bonuses to reach the floor. By subtracting DiPietro, who would carry a $3.575 million cap hit with AHL Bridgeport, the Islanders would be at approximately $31.49 million, or around $12.5 million shy of the $44 million floor.
Josh Bailey is a Group II free agent whose contract is unaccounted for. The same applies to defenseman Travis Hamonic and goaltender Kevin Poulin. Indeed, other than DiPietro, the Islanders don’t have a goaltender under contract.
Using an amnesty buyout on DiPietro — who would receive $1.5 million from the Islanders for the next 16 years under that scenario — would put pressure on Snow to sign a quality free agent or two, or use some of the stable of prospects to deal for a veteran.
What, for instance, would it take — and would it be smart business — to get Kris Letang out of Pittsburgh? Or is there a match with Boston if Tyler Seguin truly is available?
It’s interesting, though, if not typical: While teams across the league are attempting to figure out how to improve while squeezing under a shrinking cap, the Islanders are left pondering what moves to make (or not) in order to reach the floor.
Who said no team is an Island?
* So the Devils will have new ownership within the foreseeable future, news first broken two weeks ago by our colleague on The Post’s business pages, Josh Kosman, who exposed the franchise’s financial woes.
Following Friday’s report by Forbes that the Jeff Vanderbeek ownership had such serious cash-flow problems that it missed or was late with payments that required league intervention to remedy, Slap Shots has confirmed that it took several weeks for a number of players to receive their final payroll checks of the season.
The NHLPA, rather than file default claims that could have resulted in the unidentified players becoming free agents, worked with the NHL to give all parties time to deal with the issue.
* Sure, the Rangers would love to acquire Cal Clutterbuck from the Wild, but the team just doesn’t appear to have the maneuverability under the cap, let alone the choice draft picks to surrender, in order to get it done.
The decision to retain Brad Richards may make Brian Boyle vulnerable — $1.7 million is a tidy sum and cap hit for Boyle if he slots in as fourth-line center behind Richards, Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard.
Except the Blueshirts likely are to be without both Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin for the first few weeks of the season in the aftermath of their post-elimination labrum surgeries, so that Boyle likely is to be needed on the wing in October.
* There is no guarantee at all that John Tortorella would have gotten the call over Dan Bylsma to coach Team USA at the Sochi Games — the NHL’s participation in the Olympics could become official following a meeting tomorrow with the IOC — even if he had the bedside manner of Joe Torre.
But there’s also no doubt the prospect of every press briefing becoming an international incident did Tortorella no favors.
Oh, and by the way. If Tortorella truly does intend to become a new man, then bringing Mike Sullivan to Vancouver with him as assistant coach isn’t likely to help the transformation process.
Truth is that Sullivan, who only reinforces Tortorella’s us-against-the-world mentality, had alienated more Rangers by the end than the head coach.
News: Patrick Kane becomes the third straight American to win the Conn Smythe, following Tim Thomas and Jonathan Quick.
Views: Perhaps it’s time for the protectionist CHL — Canadian Junior Hockey League — to ban Americans.