The New York Islanders have made a conscious effort to bolster our defence over the last week or so, beginning with a series of UFA signings and culminating with today's blockbuster trade with the San Jose Sharks.
The Islanders badly needed a top-pairing defenceman and we feel we've filled a big hole in our lineup by acquiring
Jacob Trouba.
We're also excited by the progress shown by
Kaedan Korczak in recent seasons and feel he gives us another strong option in our defensive pipeline.
We also claimed veteran defender
Luke Schenn off waivers from the Sharks. He's on a cheap contract and provided legit value in his time with the Canucks this season.
We've also made four free-agent signings. First off, we signed
Michael Kesselring, who emerged as one of the AHL's top offensive defenders with Bakersfield and Tucson this season.
We brought in
Cole McWard, who showed promise with the Canucks this spring as an undrafted college free agent signing from The Ohio State University.
We added
Spencer Stastney, who played borderline top-four minutes down the stretch with the Predators.
And finally, we just nabbed
Jeremy Hanzel, an overage WHL defenceman who has played himself into legit draft consideration.
Welcome to the Island, Jacob, Kaedan, Luke, Michael, Spencer, and Jeremy!
Islanders stock up on defenders
