Lubomir Visnovsky’s Arbitration Date Finally Set

Photo courtesy of Jeff Gross / Getty Images

By: Christian Arnold (@CA_NYHockey)

The date is finally set.

Lubomir Visnovsky will appear before an arbitrator on September 4, to determine if his no-trade clause was still valid when the Anaheim Ducks traded him the New York Islanders during the draft.  The 36-year-old defenseman filed a grievance on June 30 to stop the trade to New York, but denied that it had anything to do with not wanting to play on Long Island.

Today’s news comes a day after Visnovsky crashed his Ferrari on a racetrack in Slovakia. He lost control of his car on the exit of the second corner of the Slovakia Ring circuit, according Matias Strozyk of Elite Prospects.  He also reported that the Islanders had given him permission to drive there.

Luckily Visnovsky escaped the incident without any serious injury.

“I have spoken directly with Lubomir, and am pleased to report that he did not suffer any serious injuries,” Isles GM Garth Snow said in a statement.

The Islanders acquired Visnovsky on June 22 in the hope of bolstering their struggling defense. The former Duck, if he stays an Islander, brings veteran leadership to the blue line and could help relieve some of the workload from players like Travis Hamonic, Mark Streit, and Andrew MacDonald.

There is no indication as to what Snow and the Islanders will do if the arbitrator negates the trade on September 5.