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<!DOCTYPE message PUBLIC "-//TSN//DTD News 1.0/EN" "newsxml.dtd">
<message>
<XML_File_ID>21232353</XML_File_ID>
<heading>ADN;RUSHTON-COLUMN-NYI</heading>
<msg_id EventId="">4699713</msg_id>
<category>News</category>
<sport>NHL</sport>
<url>/nhl/news/ADN4699713.htm</url>
<team>NYI</team>
<location>
<city>New York</city>
<state>NY</state>
<country>USA</country>
</location>
<SMS>Odd Man Rush: Snow under pressure to improve Isles quickly</SMS>
<SMS></SMS>
<Editor>By Michael Rushton, NHL Contributing Editor</Editor>
<text>
 Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The moves that New York Islanders
 general manager Garth Snow has made this offseason are just as much about 2015
 as they are about this upcoming season.
</text>
<continue>
<P>
 More than a few thought the Islanders made a mistake in opting to keep their
 2014 draft pick and instead send their selection in next year's draft to the
 Buffalo Sabres to complete October's trade for Thomas Vanek.
</P>
<P>
 Vanek, by the way, recently wrapped his season as a member of the playoff-
 participating Montreal Canadiens after the Islanders were forced to deal the
 winger to try to recoup some of the loss when it became apparent they were
 not going to the postseason.
</P>
<P>
 In keeping his upcoming selection, Snow knows he will be picking fifth overall
 and will most likely be getting a talented player who can help in the future.
 Had he chosen to keep his 2015 pick, Snow would not have had any idea where
 he was picking in what is expected to be a deep draft headlined by a pair of
 top selections in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.
</P>
<P>
 Obviously, Snow has to think his team will improve into a later pick in 2015
 or else he isn't doing his job.
</P>
<P>
 Snow can take this gamble because of the pending return of captain John
 Tavares, who had notched 24 goals and 42 points in 59 games before suffering a
 season-ending left knee injury in February while playing for Canada in the
 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
</P>
<P>
 Tavares helped the Islanders snap a five-season playoff drought in 2013, but
 New York was last in the newly-formed Metropolitan Division heading into the
 Olympic break and already 12 points out of a wild card spot.
</P>
<P>
 In other words, Tavares needs help and Long Island isn't the most attractive
 option for free agents right now. That could change when the club relocates to
 Brooklyn for the 2015-16 season, but Snow has had to get creative.
</P>
<P>
 He has done so through trades designed to get a jump on free agency, acquiring
 the rights of goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Washington Capitals back on
 May 1 and then doing the same for veteran defenseman Dan Boyle from the San
 Jose Sharks on Thursday.
</P>
<P>
 Halak has already forgone free agency, inking a four-year deal with the
 Islanders on May 22 to stabilize that important position, while New York now
 has exclusive negotiating rights with Boyle up until free agency on July 1.
</P>
<P>
 Should they sign the 37-year-old, it will cost the Islanders a fourth-round
 pick heading the Sharks' way. If they do not sign him, a fifth-round selection
 is the cost of the gamble.
</P>
<P>
 "We don't know what the future brings with Dan, but we wanted to get that
 exclusive negotiating window with him," Snow told Newsday. "He's a defenseman
 we think can help our team."
</P>
<P>
 Several New York-based newspapers cited Boyle's agent as saying his client is
 looking for a two-year deal and according to capgeek.com, Snow has nearly $28
 million of cap space to play with, so signing Boyle shouldn't be a problem.
</P>
<P>
 And it is a move Snow needs to make. The Islanders are deep with defensive
 prospects and having a veteran like Boyle around for two years --  heck, he
 might even be worth three at the right price -- would be invaluable for the
 team's future.
</P>
<P>
 That's the path Snow has decided to take in getting both Halak and Boyle while
 opting to part ways with a future draft pick. Signing Boyle would be sticking
 that plan.
</P>
</continue>
<time_stamp> June 6, 2014, at 03:08 PM ET </time_stamp>
</message>