KHL All-Star Alexei Yashin: On Evgeni Nabokov, Islanders and His Future

Filed under: Islanders, Russian Hockey, FanHouse Exclusive

Speaking via phone on the eve of the KHL All-Star Game, former Islander and current SKA forward Alexei Yashin told FanHouse on Friday that he provided a positive review of the play of goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to his old team.

"Garth Snow called me when they were thinking of picking up Nabby on waivers," Yashin said of the Islanders general manager. "He wanted to know what I thought of Nabby and his play over the years in the NHL and in the KHL this season. Nabby's a great guy and has been a great goalie for a long time. I just expressed my opinion that his performance would be a positive for the Islanders."

The team acquired Nabokov off the waiver wire, but the goalie has declined to report to the Islanders. He signed a contract with the Detroit Red Wings for the remainder of this season because he wanted to play for a contender. The Islanders are currently in 29th place in the NHL and 18 points behind eighth-place Atlanta for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Although he vouched for the talent of his friend to the Islanders, Yashin has so far chosen to not get involved any further. The former Islanders captain enjoyed his time in New York, but he hasn't felt it is his place to contact Nabokov and sell him on the franchise.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/04/khl-all-star-alexei-yashin-on-evgeni-nabokov-islanders-and-his/

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