Thu, Mar 9, 2006 at 10:45am

DEVILS GET LUKOWICH

The New Jersey Devils acquired defenseman Brad Lukowich from the New York Islanders for a third-round draft pick in 2006.

What does it give the New Jersey Devils
The Devils added Ken Klee earlier, and now get another depth defenseman in Lukowich. Clearly, the Devils wanted to upgrade their third defense pairing--which previously included the likes of David Hale, Tommy Albelin and Sean Brown. Now, GM/coach Lou Lamoriello has a surplus along the blueline, which may be a precursor to more wheeling and dealing. Another scoring forward is high on Lamoriello's shopping list.

What does it give the New York Islanders
Despite the fact the Islanders are currently without a general manager, they're making the right moves at the right time. Lukowich was expendable for a team that's looking ahead to the future, so the addition of a third rounder is excellent asset management. Why did the Isles wait until they no longer had a full-time GM to pull off these moves?

Fantasy impact

Player focus

New York Islanders

a third-round draft pick in 2006

New Jersey Devils

Brad Lukowich D