It seems Garth Snow is going for it all in the Islanders the last season at Nassau Coliseum.
The Isles general manager pulled off a pair of stunning trades on Saturday, bolstering the team's blue line with veteran defensemen Johnny Boychuk from the Bruins and Nick Leddy from the Blackhawks. Both players have won a Stanley Cup.
Both defensemen were victims of the salary cap on their respective teams. Boychuck was acquired in exchange for second-round picks in the 2015 and 2016 drafts and a conditional third-round pick in 2016. If Boychuk is traded to an Eastern Conference team, the Isles would have to give up the lesser of their two second-round picks in the upcoming draft. Leddy and goaltender Kent Simpson were obtained in exchange for defensemen TJ Brennan and Ville Pokka and goaltender Anders Nilsson. The Blackhawks have been over the cap since signing the Rangers Brad Richards over the offseason.
Boychuk, 30, scored a career-high 23 points last season (five goals, 18 assists) and posted a plus-31 rating in 75 games with the Bruins. He scored a goal and an assist during Boston's 12 Stanley Cup playoff games. Leddy, 23, scored 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) in all 82 games for Chicago last season while posting a plus-10 rating. He also had five points (one goal, four assists) in Chicago's 18 playoff games. Both players are in the last year of their contracts.
On paper, it appears as though Snow has assembled a playoff team. After adding a pair of solid goaltenders in Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson and some depth at forward, the Islanders defense was easily their biggest question mark heading into the season. Boychuk and Leddy solidify a blue line corps with mostly youngsters like Travis Hamonic and Calvin de Haan. Boychuk has a history of concussions and Leddy's struggles in the playoffs have led to healthy scratches by the Blackhawks, but they are both upgrades to Isles' current roster.
The Islanders' final home opener at Nassau Coliseum is next Saturday, Oct. 11, against the Hurricanes.
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