Islanders activate G Rick DiPietro off injured reserve list

One-time prodigy Rick DiPietro, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2000 draft who is less than halfway through a 15-year, $67.5 million contract he signed in 2006, has been taken off injured reserve by the New York Islanders.

The goaltender has played in just 47 games over the last four seasons, including a miniscule eight in 2011-12, when he was sidelined with a groin strain, a sports hernia and knee swelling.

The Isles now have Evgeni Nabokov in goal, so they are hardly counting on DiPietro to return to form. But for a $4.5 million cap hit, they would probably like some kind of return.

DiPietro's contract runs through the 2020-21 campaign.

UPDATE: Chris Botta suggests that the move was largely procedural:

https://twitter.com/ChrisBottaNHL/status/230803162053881857