Monday 10/6:
Brian Compton @BComptonNHL · 9m9 minutes ago
Johnny Boychuk is all smiles on the ice this morning. #Isles
A deal born out of a cap situation & Bruins' team planning brings a valued player to the Islanders.
11 pm Sunday 10/5: Islanders General Manager Garth Snow had the hockey media in a tizzy on Saturday as he managed not one but two major trades to bolster the Isles defense. For weeks, the rumors swirled around Boston Bruins’ Johnny Boychuk. With the Bruins cap situation something had to happen and so it did.
Short-term risk in Johnny Boychuk trade
By Fluto Shinzawa
This is a wicked haul for a player the Bruins had no hopes of re-signing. The depth of the bounty convinced Chiarelli to make the deal.
Boychuk, an unrestricted free agent at year’s end, will command a $6 million annual price on the free market. Chiarelli never attempted to negotiate with Gerry Johansson, Boychuk’s agent, because he would not have been able to accommodate the defenseman’s price.
You have to love the Boston globe’s us of “wicked.” But it also shows that Boychuk, as much as he was loved by his team mates, he was not part of the plan and became another casualty of this business.
While this news was breaking, another press release was being drafted as Garth Snow parlayed three players into one Nick Leddy, another sought after defensemen. Other teams’ cap woes are a boon for the Islanders.
From NHL.com:
Leddy fought for playing time in Chicago, which boasts star defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. But he could play a major role for the Islanders, who made several changes during the off-season to upgrade their roster and also acquired defenseman Johnny Boychuk from the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
Trades are never easy for those involved and Leddy’s team mates were also upset with the move. But one of them put it all in perspective for CSNChicago.com.
"It’s tough, but he’s looking at the positives,” Shaw said following Sunday’s practice. “He can do well there. He could log a lot of minutes and he’ll be a big part of the team.”
Garth Snow is on a roll. He’s been asked repeatedly if he is worried about the change in ownership on the horizon. He has answered that he is not focusing on anything but the team and winning. This will be the season the Isles will be remembered by as the leave their home for the last four decades. It’s now or never to bring post season excitement to Uniondale.
He has tried in the past, bringing in players he felt could make a difference. But they have fallen short. There is no more time to wait. The youngsters in the system that the Islanders are looking to depend on in the future cannot help them win right now without additional help and John Tavares deserves a winning team just as the loyal fans do.
As Brad Kurtzberg from InsideHockey.com put it:
These trades are further evidence that the Islanders are in win now mode. With the team moving to Brooklyn next season, they need to build enthusiasm to help sell tickets in the new arena and want to send the Nassau Coliseum off on a positive note.
This season will have Garth Snow’s handwriting all over it, even on items for the Isles not generally associated with General Manager concerns. This one can’t get away from him -- or us.
Michael Dal Colle was returned to his junior team and immediately made an impact:
Andy Graziano ™ @tazman19 40m40 minutes ago #isles RT @vishal_hussain Dal Colle, 1+1 in his return to the lineup, what a ripper on the PP. Tied at 3, welcome back DC!
The Isles still have some decisions to make in order to get to the 23 man NHL roster, but these are the moves they made in the last two days alone:
October 4: The Islanders acquired Johnny Boychuk from the Boston Bruins in exchange for the team’s second round selections in the 2015 and 2016 NHL Drafts, along with a conditional third round pick.
October 4: The Islanders acquired Nick Leddy and goaltender Kent Simpson from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defensemen TJ Brennan, Ville Pokka and goaltender Anders Nilsson.
October 4: The Islanders agreed to terms with Joshua Ho-Sang on a three-year, entry-level contract.
October 4: The Islanders returned forwards Sebastian Collberg, Brett Gallant, Mike Halmo, Kael Mouillierat, John Persson, Alan Quine and Johan Sundstrom to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL). The Islanders also returned defensemen Scott Mayfield, Andrey Pedan, Adam Pelech and Ville Pokka (for about an hour) to Bridgeport.
October 5: Jack Skille was claimed off of waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Skille signed a two-way deal with the Islanders on July 1 and now goes back to Columbus, where he played last season.
October 5: Aaron Ness cleared waivers. (And will not be able to wear #55 if he gets called up to the Isles again this season. Boychuk got that one.)
October 5: David Leggio, Kevin Poulin and Harry Zolnierczyk cleared waivers and were returned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL).
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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