Islanders sign FA Zidlicky to one-year contract
New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow has been a busy man over the last 48 hours. After re-signing restricted free agent forward Brock Nelson just before training camp and dealing away Michael Grabner for a package of prospects, Snow found some defensive help at the last minute. The Islanders signed free agent defenseman Marek Zidlicky to a one-year deal.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet had more details on the new deal:
Zidlicky base $1.5M. Bonuses for GP, PTS and playoff rounds won.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 19, 2015
The 38-year-old defenseman had gone through the entire summer without finding a deal and decided not to sign any tryout contracts. His patience was rewarded by the Isles, which could provide a pretty good situation for the veteran defenseman.
Zidlicky ended up appearing in 84 total games last season. He spent the bulk of the year with the New Jersey Devils before he was flipped to the Detroit Red Wings near the trade deadline. Zidlicky posted 34 points between the two clubs.
A gifted two-way defenseman for the majority of his career, Zidlicky has usually been good for 30-plus points when healthy. Over the last three seasons, he’s missed just one game.
A veteran of 783 NHL games, which has included stints with the Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild, Devils and Red Wings, Zidlicky has posted 401 career points.
Though he’s primarily been a top-four defenseman, the Islanders could use him in a depth role, which could suit his offensive capabilities a bit more. He could likely be filling a role similar to the one played by Lubomir Visnovsky last season.
Adding Zidlicky on the cheap to a mix that already includes Johnny Boychuk, Travis Hamonic and Nick Leddy at the top of the defensive lineup is a pretty nice value addition at this stage of the preseason. Now he’ll have plenty of time to get adjusted to the new team and head coach Jack Capuano can get a better idea of how to deploy him.
Marek Zidlicky finally found a team for the 2015-16 season. (USATSI)
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