The San Jose Sharks traded the rights of UFA defenseman Dan Boyle to the New York Islanders this afternoon, to the New York Islanders in exchange for a conditional 5th round selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Should Boyle choose to sign with the Islanders, that pick will become a 4th round selection.
The 37-year-old defenseman is set to become an unrestricted free agent as of July 1st.
Boyle has played season in the NHL, amassing 144 goals and 561 points in 954 career games, playing for the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks. Boyle has one Stanley Cup ring and is fourth among active defenseman in both goals and points.
Boyle on being traded:
“Even though I was kind of expecting it a little bit, yeah, it was devastating. I was clear that I wanted to be back here and I loved it here. It can still be pretty tough news to take, but when you lose like we did, you figure that changes are going to be made. Part of me thought this could happen.”
Wilson on Boyle:
“I can’t say enough about the type of guy he is, the player, everything he brought to the table for us.”
Boyle on his only regret with the Sharks:
“I don’t regret anything with the exception of the result as a team. As far as my individual effort, I laid it out there every night. The experience as a whole, playing here in front of these fans, was just an incredible experience. Obviously, I’m going to leave with regret that we didn’t get the job done, but when I look in the mirror at the end of the day, I know that I gave it everything I had.”
Islanders GM Garth Snow on Boyle:
“Dan wants to talk to some people he knows about Isles situation … He’s made it clear to me he’s open to any and all options.”
Snow on Boyle with Lubomir Visnovsky:
“If we sign Boyle, they’ll both be on the No. 1 power play. We think that’s a plus.”
According to Garth Snow, “nothing substantive yet.” The Islanders now have a window between now and July 1st to sign the veteran defenseman and provide a punch to their powerplay as well as leadership and guidance to their youth on the back end.
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