Sat, Oct 4, 2014 at 2:10pm

ISLES ACQUIRE D-MAN BOYCHUK FROM B'S

The New York Islanders acquired defenseman Johnny Boychuk from the Boston Bruins for a second-round draft pick in 2015, a second-round draft pick in 2016 and a conditional third-round draft pick in 2015.

What does it give the New York Islanders
This is a big, bold move by the Isles, who should benefit greatly from Boychuk's presence along their blueline. The team is currently a little banged up on the back end, so he should help with their depth right away. Furthermore, the Isles won't have to rely as heavily on their young defensemen this season with Boychuk around. That said, three (potentially) quality draft picks is a steep price to pay for a 30-year-old defenseman scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

What does it give the Boston Bruins
The Bruins needed to move someone out in order to get under the salary cap. To that end, they traded from their blueline depth by moving Boychuk. They'll go forward with {P Zdeno Chara}, {P Dennis Seidenberg}, {P Dougie Hamilton}, {P Torey Krug}, {P Adam McQuaid}, {P Kevan Miller} and {P Matt Bartkowski} forming their D corps. Incredibly, GM Peter Chiarelli was able to land two second rounders and a potential third rounder for Boychuk. This was a fantastic deal for Boston.

Fantasy impact
Boychuk's fantasy value may actually go up slightly moving from Beantown to Long Island if he sees more time on the power play with his new team. That said, he's still no more than a late-round draft pick in most fantasy formats. The winners for the Bruins here are Hamilton, McQuaid, Miller and Bartkowski, while short-term losers on the Islanders include {P Griffin Reinhart}, {P Matt Donovan}, {P T.J. Brennan} and {P Ryan Pulock}.

Player focus

New York Islanders

Johnny Boychuk D

Boston Bruins

a second-round draft pick in 2015

a second-round draft pick in 2016

a conditional third-round draft pick in 2015