New York Islanders Acquire Dan Boyle from San Jose Sharks

(Photo: San Jose Sharks)

Back in the middle of May, Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced that the San Jose Sharks would not be offering Dan Boyle a contract extension. It was a bit of a surprise for the veteran defenseman who had been hoping to stay in San Jose. It appeared that he had been looking for a two year contract extension where the Sharks had only wanted to offer a single year. The contract talks never made it to talking about a price.

Dan Boyle is an unrestricted free agent come July 1st but before that happens, San Jose dealt Boyle to the Islanders for a conditional pick in the 2015 draft. If Boyle signs in New York before the start of the 2014-2015, the draft pick will become a 4th round pick. Currently, the pick is in the 5th round.

The 2008-2009 season was Boyle’s first in San Jose after having spent a number of seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. During his six seasons with San Jose, he amassed 269 points in 431 regular season games. He also added 48 points in 62 post season games. He provided excellent veteran leadership during his time with San Jose. Boyle, an extremely offensively-minded defenseman, won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with Tampa Bay. He had been hoping to help bring a Cup to San Jose.

Now that his rights have been traded, the New York Islanders will have the chance to try and negotiate a contract with Boyle before he becomes a free agent. He could be a good addition to the Islanders defensive core, some of whom are still young and inexperienced. In the meantime, the San Jose Sharks will continue their mission to make the team younger.