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Fans Get Their Wish: Isles Buy-Out Yashin
By Jeff Zachowski on June 6th, 2007 7:19 PM |
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The Alexei Yashin Era is over on Long Island. The Islanders have exercised a buy out on the remaining four years of the captain’s contract. Yashin signed a 10-year, $87.5 million deal with the franchise after the Islanders acquired the listless Russian in 2001. The terms of the buyout are such that 2/3 of the $26.45 million owed to Yashin can be paid in installments over the next eight years, however the team’s salary cap will take a $2.2 million hit per season during that span.
As recently as May 18th, GM Garth Snow backed Yashin, calling him “a vital part of the organization” despite the fact that Islanders fans had organized a petition and letter-writing campaign aimed at persuading owner Charles Wang to cut ties with the unpopular forward.
Newsday columnist Mark Herrmann calls the move “the biggest victory in years” for Islanders fans, and praises Wang for listening to the pleas of his paying customers.
