Rick DiPietro has played his final game for the Islanders. The former 2000 first overall pick has been hampered by injuries. He was placed on waivers by the club so they can buy him out. He has eight years left on a 15-year contract worth $67.5 million signed in 2006 that pays him an average of $4.5 million per year. 

It’s a sad conclusion to a 12-year career spent on Long Island. Following former general manager Mike Milbury’s gamble trading away Roberto Luongo and passing on Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik, DiPietro became an All-Star. From ’05-06 through ’07-08, he won 88 games including consecutive seasons of 30 wins or more. He posted a 2.81 GAA with a .907 save percentage plus nine shutouts including a career best five in ’06-07. He also set a career high with 32 wins.

Unfortunately, DiPietro couldn’t stay healthy. He missed significant time due to knee and hip surgery. A groin injury forced him to miss the last 58 games of 2012. He also battled back from concussions with one stemming from a fight with then Pens backup Brent Johnson. Despite numerous setbacks, the brash goalie from Winthrop Massachusetts continued to rehab hard. He always came back, showing his competitiveness along with high character that can never be questioned. He wanted badly to live up to the contract Islanders owner Charles Wang gave him. 

Whenever an athlete has as many injuries as DiPietro, you wind up feeling sorry for him. Sure. None of us will ever come close to the money he earned. What gets lost in translation is that we’re not professional athletes. We don’t sacrifice so much every year like they do. This is a way of life for them since they were kids growing up living out their dreams. Overpaid is a word tossed around a lot by everyone. Many players will always earn more than they should. More a reflection on how much owners and GMs are willing to spend due to market value. Starting Friday, we’ll see more of the same. It’s why the recent lockout was unforgivable. Thankfully, it turned out better than the last one.

I challenge any hockey fan to say DiPietro was overpaid. He wasn’t. Had he remained healthy throughout the contract, it would’ve been a bargain. He was on the verge of stardom when his body gave out. The problem was the length which never considered the injury risk. It’s exactly why such long term deals are more damaging in a cap era. The good news is there are term limits which prevent such outlandish contracts like the one Ilya Bryzgalov signed with the Flyers, who amnestied him two years later. The Rangers decided against it with Brad Richards. If he gets hurt, they’re stuck.

DiPietro is 31. He finishes 130-136-28 with a 2.87 GAA, .902 save percentage and 16 shutouts over 318 games. Since ’07-08, he’s only appeared in 50 games. The Islanders moved on with Evgeni Nabokov backstopping them to their first postseason appearance in six years. He must be re-signed. What’s next for DiPietro remains to be seen. Is there a team willing to take a chance on a reclamation project? The Flyers have to be looked at after jettisoning Bryzgalov. Are they confident in Steve Mason? They’re rumored to be interested in Nabokov along with Ray Emery. 

If no team gives DiPietro a second chance, is that it? I don’t see him as the quitting type. The future remains cloudy.