With a strong group of forwards and an upgraded goalie situation, the Islanders appeared to have most of the necessary ingredients to make a playoff run in their final season at Nassau Coliseum.
Their one big concern was on the blue line, but on Saturday general manager Garth Snow addressed that weakness, swinging trades for defensemen Johnny Boychuk from the Bruins and Nick Leddy from the Blackhawks.
The two met the media on Monday, and both are ready to embrace the challenge of leading the Islanders back into the playoffs.
“It was hard to leave [Boston], but you have to come with an open mind and be positive,” Boychuk said after Islanders practice. “This is going to be a great team and people shouldn’t take us lightly anymore. They’ve done some good things and I think it’s going to be a good challenge for any team to come in and play us.”
As the Islanders prepare to move to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, they’re looking to give Long Island fans one more playoff team for their memory banks.
The team figures to remain potent offensively, as six of its seven leading scorers return, led by Kyle Okposo (69 points) and John Tavares (66).
“[The Islanders] forwards are very fast, skilled and they work hard,” Boychuk said. “They’re a young team too. They work hard and they can make unbelievable plays, so I’m just excited to get out there and be part of those plays, not [play] against them.”
In acquiring Boychuk, 30, and Leddy, 23, the Islanders have added two quality defensemen to their young core of Thomas Hickey, Matt Donovan, Travis Hamonic, and Calvin de Haan, all of whom are younger than 26.
“[Having depth] is huge,” Leddy said. “There are points where guys get tired, but you have to battle through that. We have a lot of good, young guys on this team and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The Islanders are one of the last teams to open its season — Friday at the Hurricanes — but the ebullient Boychuk sounded ready to lace up the skates on Monday.
“There’s good things that are happening and now we’ve bolstered the defense and it’s gonna be a good team,” Boychuk said. “Good things are gonna happen.”
