The Islanders won’t be caught short again.
Ensuring stability in nets regardless of the state of Rick DiPetro’s health, the Islanders have signed free agent goaltender Martin Biron to a one-year, $1.4 million steal of a deal, The Post has learned.
Biron, who will be 32 next month and who has been a No. 1 for Buffalo and, most recently, Philadelphia, is the second free agent netminder signed this summer by the Islanders, who were crippled last season when chronically injured DiPietro went down early with a recurring knee issue that required surgery.
On July 1, GM Garth Snow signed 40-year-old Dwayne Roloson, the No. 1 who guided the Oilers to the 2006 Cup Finals, to a two-year contract worth $2.5 million per season.
Well-placed sources have told The Post the Islanders still expect DiPietro to be ready for training camp when the club convenes in Saskatoon in September.
Biron’s addition, however, removes the urgency to rush DiPietro so he’s ready to begin the season that commences with a 13-game crush in October.
The addition of Biron and the construction of a veteran tandem buys time for both the Islanders and for DiPietro, who played in five games last season before undergoing surgery in early January. Forced to go with a combination of Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis in DiPetro’s absence last season, the Islanders finished with the NHL’s third-poorest goals-against average at 3.34.
DiPietro, who has undergone multiple surgical procedures on his knee over the past two seasons, in addition to procedures on both hips, is scheduled to begin skating next month, though he and club management have been mum on his status.
Biron went 29-19-5 with a 2.76 GAA in sharing the Flyers’ net last season with Antero Nittymaki. Biron is a nine-year veteran with a career 199-162-45 record and 2.59 GAA. He took the Flyers to the Eastern finals in 2008 before losing to the Penguins, who then eliminated his team in a six-game first-round series in 2009.
If DiPietro is healthy enough to become part of the Islanders’ early-season rotation, Snow will have a comparably cheap asset (Biron) to move for players or draft picks. If DiPietro needs more time, however, the Islanders will be able to sleep well at night.