Earlier today the Islanders traded promising young forward Max Domi to the Florida Panthers for Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast and a 2017 draft pick.

GM Lawrence Linke explained that he has had his eyes on Kevin Hayes for some time. Along with an above average skating ability and a large 6'05 frame, Kevin brings an excellent hockey sense to the rink. Kevin re-dedicated himself to hockey this last off season and while gaining muscle, lost 20 pounds. He has improved to the point where he is one of the top penalties killers for one of the top teams in the NHL and a substantial boost in his ratings is possible for next year. He has already set a career high for goals in a season and is on pace to top 20 in the NHL.

Also acquired was Jesper Fast. He is a 24 year old forward who is in his 3rd NHL season. While he did score 10 goals last year he is more of a defensive specialist and carries a 84 DEF rating. He will immediately slide into the top PK unit with Shawn Horcoff.

Also acquired was a 3rd round selection in the upcoming draft which should be among the top 10 selections in the round. Linke stated he has wanted to add picks as he attempts to build up his pool of prospects.

As the press conference neared its completion, Linke was asked about Cam Atkinson and his conract. Linke stated that Cam is happy in New York and he is still talking with Cam's agent and he is confident something will get done.

Linke closed out the press conference by stating he is confident that the Islanders are a better team today than yesterday and will be a better team in the future because of the deal.