[TheScorpion]

The New York Islanders announced today that they have acquired forwards Cameron Atkinson, Kristian Vesalainen, Ruslan Iskhakov, and Josh Nodler, as well as a 2020 third-round pick, from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In return, they have sent winger Patrick Kane to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kane departs the Islanders without having played a single game with the team.

"We needed more long-term stability," said GM TheScorpion. "We have a few outstanding trade conditions to fulfill, and it was important to us to acquire assets with the potential to help us in that regard."

Atkinson is signed for three more seasons; Kane is on an expiring contract, as was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the main piece New York sent to acquire Kane last month.

"We view this transaction as a completion of our original move. Essentially, we dealt Nugent-Hopkins and a 2nd for Atkinson. That's a trade we're happy with making, as we feel Atkinson is a clear upgrade and he's locked into our club, unlike Kane and RNH.

"The third-rounders cancel out, obviously, as do Iskhakov and Firstov. Then, we see it as Leddy, Bracco, and Pirri for Vesalainen, Sheary, and Nodler. A higher price to pay, obviously, but we see Sheary and Pirri as roughly equal going forward. Leddy is on the decline, we feel, and Bracco is in tough to make noise behind an incredibly stacked Toronto offense. Vesalainen, on the other hand, is a top-notch first-round talent that we're tremendously excited about."