Palffy Is a Wealthy Islander
The New York Islanders signed All-Star right wing Zigmund Palffy to a five-year contract worth around $26 million, ending a bitter dispute that kept the three-time 40-goal scorer from playing this season.
Paul Kraus, Palffy’s agent, said the contract gives the Islanders the option to keep him for a sixth year at $7 million.
Kraus said the 26-year-old Palffy will rejoin the club Saturday, one day before it ends a four-game road trip in Phoenix on Sunday. Palffy, who is from Slovakia, had returned to Europe during the dispute.
“Ziggy’s happy to be back playing hockey,” Kraus said. “I think he’s happy to have this over with. He had pretty much written off the season.”
In a meeting Oct. 27 in Austria, Islander Coach and General Manager Mike Milbury offered Palffy the same two-year, $7.75-million contract that center Doug Weight signed with the Edmonton Oilers in October, Kraus said at the time.
Kraus was seeking more than $6 million a season, he said then.
The Islanders contacted Kraus on Wednesday to try come to an agreement with Palffy, who led the NHL with 17 power-play goals last season.
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