Just talked to the SBNation New York Islanders expert Dominik.
Dominik, from Light House Hockey, had this to say about the buyout options the Islanders may be looking into:
No buyout candidates on the Islanders NHL roster, but Brendan Witt could be a candidate after he was waived and demoted to Bridgeport last year. His cap hit is $3 million but he’s due $2.5 million for the 2010-11, the last year of his deal. Everyone in the organization still loves him, but his mobility just doesn’t measure up anymore (and hasn’t for two seasons).They might want him to play a veteran role down in Bridgeport again — or they might give him another crack in training camp since injuries slowed him down. Tough to tell. No hints from the organization yet.
Just my own two cents here, but Witt’s NHL playing days are probably over. I will be the first to tell you that Witt used to be a formidable, and very useful defenseman for the Islanders; but his age has really started to catch up to him.
But you can never underestimate the value of having a veteran player in the minors. And Witt can certainly provide some very valuable experience and lessons to potential future Islanders.
So it will be interesting to see what happens here, and we will obviously keep you updated as the situation begins to shape itself out.