One of the many names still looking for a home for the upcoming season has finally found one as defensemen Marek Zidlicky has signed a one year contract with the New York Islanders.
The 38-year old Zidlicky joins an Islanders defensive unit that includes a nice mix of young and old players like Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy and Travis Hamonic. According to Arthur Staple of Newsday, the contract is for $1.5 million over the course of the year.
The Islanders head into the 2015-16 season as a team with Stanley Cup aspirations during their first season at their new home with Brooklyn. With pieces in place like the aforementioned blue liners as well as key forwards in John Tavares, Kyle Okposo and Anders Lee, among others, the Islanders should no doubt contend for the Metropolitan Division this year.
Whether Zidlicky can truly make an impact towards that goal, obviously, remains to be seen. That being said, to have a veteran player come in to really guide the young ones could be just what the doctor ordered for a team looking to win a playoff series for the first time in 20 years.
Zidlicky is expected to report to camp on Saturday, and will certainly get game action during one of the first couple Islanders contests.
