This week, the Eastern Edge looks at the New York Islanders two most recent acquisitions.

The New York Islanders pulled off a couple of trades last Saturday for two defensemen from two teams that were up against the cap. These deals are exactly what the Islanders needed, NHL help on the back end. While there is no guarantee that they will play the same way they did with their previous teams, at least fans can see that the team is trying to get better.

Over the last three seasons, Johnny Boychuk has consistently received top-four minutes on one of the best teams in the NHL. When we look at the numbers, it shows a player who has consistently been used as a second pairing defender, who can play top short-handed minutes as well. One thing he hasn’t been given much of is power play time, averaging a mere 16 seconds per game over each of the last three seasons.

Back in 2008-09, Boychuk had one heck of a season in the AHL, culminating with the Eddie Shore Trophy as the league’s outstanding defenseman. He recorded 20 goals, 66 points, was a plus-19 and had 61 penalty minutes to boot. So don’t underestimate what offensive abilities he can bring to the table. He will also add nicely to your hits and blocked shots totals, providing a nice 150/150 split in each of those categories. Apart from the obvious physicality that Boychuk brings, he will help stabilize the penalty kill. Last season, the Isles had the second worst penalty kill in the entire league. This will also bolster Jaroslav Halak‘s numbers and ultimately in the wins column for the team.