Biron looking to stay with Isles -- for now
Photo credit: Getty Images | Derek Roy #9 of the Buffalo Sabres gets through a check by Martin Biron #43 of the New York Islanders. (November 4, 2009)
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Nov. 4: Sabres 3, Islanders 0
From the general manager and coach who were goaltenders, to the highly paid injured star intent on returning, the Islanders are inescapably linked to the position. Crease is the word.
Even the fill-in goalies are a continuing story.
Martin Biron autographed 100 pucks for a holiday ticket package as the team took a day off the ice yesterday. Biron is the goalie most likely to be displaced when (and if) Rick DiPietro shows he is fully recovered from a protracted period of rehabilitation for his surgically repaired left knee.
Biron is happy to stay an Islander for as long as he is needed. He isn't especially enthusiastic about the persistent rumor that would have him returning to Buffalo - or any other place that would cast him as a backup. His pregnant wife, three children and the home he had built in 2002 may be in Buffalo, but a starting job isn't. Ryan Miller, the NHL's top netminder, has that locked down.
"I'm 32 years old,'' Biron said. "I want to be in a position where I play games, get to compete to play games.''
This season, Biron has split time in goal with 40-year-old Dwayne Roloson. General manger Garth Snow hedged his bet by signing both veterans. When DiPietro, in the fourth year of a 15-year contract worth $67.5 million, proves he is healthy, the remainder of Biron's $1.4-million deal will be attractive to another team.
But not so fast, coach Scott Gordon said. He insisted there is no timetable for DiPietro's return. Speculation has centered between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"There's no date,'' Gordon said. "It's just building up to the point when he's ready to go every day on the ice . His conditioning will be there, his technique will be there, his strength will be there. That's just part of the process. There's no actual date. You can't put a date on it. It's just how he progresses through every stage of it.''
Gordon realizes the interest and preoccupation with DiPietro, 28, but added, "Ricky's in the stage of his rehab where he's getting back to being able to be game-ready. There is protocol set up with what he's got to do day to day. Right now, we're waiting for him to go through that process.''
Biron said he is "happy to see Ricky do well. I'm hoping that he comes back and is 100 percent. That's what we all want. For me, we'll definitely see what happens when that situation arises.
"I'm not going to pay attention; it's still early. A lot of things happen from now until Christmas or even before that and after. My agents are going to monitor the situation and talk to Garth and know what the situation is.
"Not to say it's none of my business; I'm going to want to know. But right now it's absolutely none of my business to keep track of all of that.''
