There will be no more trades or new teams for Mike Sillinger. The veteran center has announced his retirement from the NHL after 17 seasons due to an injured left hip. This particular injury allowed Sillinger to play only 7 games for the Islanders and 3 games for their AHL affiliate Bridgeport last season before undergoing surgery in February.
Sillinger played for an NHL-record 12 different teams, and was traded an NHL-record 9 times. He had been most recently a New York Islander, having signed with them during the summer of 2006. The 38 year-old had the best season of his career during his first year on the Island, scoring 26 goals and 33 assists.
If healthy, Sillinger would probably have been welcomed back to Nassau Coliseum for a fourth season with open arms. The Islanders have a ton of cap space (approximately $15 million) and even though they don't want to spend much until the Lighthouse Project picks up speed, Sillinger would have came cheap. New York is also lacking veteran leadership on and off the ice other than Doug Weight to help guide John Tavares and the young, rebuilding Islanders.
Sillinger played for an NHL-record 12 different teams, and was traded an NHL-record 9 times. He had been most recently a New York Islander, having signed with them during the summer of 2006. The 38 year-old had the best season of his career during his first year on the Island, scoring 26 goals and 33 assists.
If healthy, Sillinger would probably have been welcomed back to Nassau Coliseum for a fourth season with open arms. The Islanders have a ton of cap space (approximately $15 million) and even though they don't want to spend much until the Lighthouse Project picks up speed, Sillinger would have came cheap. New York is also lacking veteran leadership on and off the ice other than Doug Weight to help guide John Tavares and the young, rebuilding Islanders.
