As good a job as the New York Islanders have done from the top-down, there’s been nothing done to address the league’s worst defense from last season.
The only change in the Islanders’ defensive core is the removal of the minute-muncher Calvin de Haan, and while the team was able to retain all their RFA’s, the need for one more top-four veteran has never been more prevalent.
In 2014, with only a week or so left until training camp, then-GM Garth Snow pulled off two trades with teams strapped to the salary cap ceiling to acquire what would be their top-pairing defensive unit for seasons to come — Nick Leddy & Johnny Boychuk.