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The roster sheet at Northwell Health Ice Center this week looks pretty much like you’d expect for prospect camp: birth years that start with the number zero.
There’s ’01s and ’02s, even some ’03s and ’04s, and a couple ’05s dot the 23-man group. There are ’99s and a ’98, since Maxim Tsyplakov is taking every opportunity to practice after coming over from Moscow.
And then there is an ’89. Yes, an ’89.
“What do you mean? I’m young,” joked Keith Kinkaid, age 35 and hoping to complete his tour of Tri-State area NHL teams.
Kinkaid, who played in net last season with the AHL Chicago Wolves, has 169 NHL games to his name during a career that started with the Devils when Lou Lamoriello was still in New Jersey.
It has since encompassed a stint with the Blue Jackets that did not yield a game, a short stop in Montreal, two years with the Rangers, a season split between Boston and Colorado and last season with the unaffiliated Wolves.
A Long Island native, Kinkaid works out at the Islanders’ facility during the summer, so it was a natural step for his agent to ask Lamoriello whether he could come out and skate during the summer. That led to a PTO (professional tryout).
“I did grow up an Islander fan,” Kinkaid said. “I loved coming to the Coliseum. That was always a joy of my life. It’s really cool. I played for the Devils and Rangers, I’m hoping we can make the Tri-State or Metropolitan-area trio.
“I’m just putting my best foot forward. Be a pro, be a rookie, but just bring some experience. Kinda show the way. This is my 14th season. I just want to do anything I can to turn heads. Still got a lot left in the tank and, yeah, go from there.”
There are 11 players in history who have played for the Islanders, Rangers and Devils, with Michael Grabner being the most recent to complete the trio when he was dealt from the Rangers to the Devils in 2018.
By virtue of being on a tryout contract for a team whose top two goalies are, barring injury, set in stone, the odds are against Kinkaid becoming the 12th.
The pathway to getting NHL playing time would require both beating out Marcus Hogberg and Tristan Lennox in camp to become the organization’s No. 3 goalie and the Islanders needing use of their third goalie at some point this season.
Playing close to home, though, holds a lot of appeal for a player who has done nothing but bounce around lately.
Asked whether that had been mentally tough, Kinkaid joked his wife would say yes.
“But it has been,” he said. “Especially getting traded twice in my career. First one [New Jersey to Columbus] wasn’t terrible, but then Boston to Colorado was quite a wild one. You never feel a sense of security or anything. It’s also good ’cause you gotta prove yourself. That’s what I’m coming here to do: prove myself. Lou knows me from the beginning of my career, so I’m hoping I can still show them what I got.”
This is, of course, the sort of perspective usually in short supply at rookie camp.
But then, Kinkaid is not the sort of player you would expect to be present at these things.
He is taking it in stride. And yes, his wife is thrilled to be close to home.
“We weren’t even home for seven months of the year last year,” he said. “She wants to enjoy home on Long Island. You never know what happens. Working hard, being a pro and having fun.”
