Speculation (read: rumors) has been running rampant the past several days that the Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to purge themselves of Dan Boyle’s six-year $40-million dollar contact in order to reach a self imposed spending limit. The problem with this grand master plan is that Boyle was given a no trade clause in his extension prior to last years trade deadline. There have been numerous teams rumored asking about the services of Boyle, you guessed it - the Islanders are said to be in the mix.

Normally, I would take whatever I read on the various message boards or rumor websites with a grain of salt - but the websites and writers I respect most are all reporting the same things. Greg Logan from Newsday wrote about it in a story for Friday’s paper and in his blog, Spector mentions the Islanders in his Boyle updates, and Kuklas Korner also mentions the Islanders with Boyle. What makes things even more interesting, is that the Islanders are even mentioned in a local Tampa newspaper blog as well. All signs point to this being a confirmed interest in Boyle.

While Boyle may not fit into what the Islanders are trying to accomplish perfectly, he is another offensive defenseman - and a fairly solid defender. Tampa is looking to shed salary, so this is another example of how the Islanders cap-space has become even more valuable. The Lightning are trading from a position of weakness, so the Islanders could snatch Boyle up for a mid-level prospect and a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick. To me, this would be a no brainer because it would solidify the defensive corps and you can then shift your focus on adding a top-six forward to jump start the offense. Boyle doesn’t make the Isles any more of a contender than they would be without him, but he definately makes them a solid team defensively. This is something that needs to be watched closely over the next coming days, that is for sure.

July 4th Update

Apparently San Jose has traded for Dan Boyle and completely overpayed in my eyes: Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich to San Jose for Matt Carle, Ty Wishart, a 1st and a 4th

Chris Botta claims that the Islanders did more than just “kick the tires” in his blog - they very much wanted Boyle - but I bet the first round pick made Snow cringe and terminate any talks of a trade. Good on ya Garth!

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Islanders trade 68 to Chicago for numbers 72 and 102

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Another trade, Isles trade Toronto’s 7th to Nashville for #9 and #40!
Lots of picks

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Isles trade the 7th pick

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Isles have traded the 5th overall to Toronto for their 7th and pick 60 this year or 3rd in 09 and some other options.

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Well, can’t really say I am surprised by this denial. I am somewhat relieved that the madness surrounding McCabe has been stomped out once again because I really want the Islanders to draft Nikita Filatov.

At least for now the Islanders are standing pat with that #5 pick!

Per Sportsnet.ca:

Bryan McCabe’s agent Ian Pulver offered a quick response to a story in the Toronto Sun that suggested the Maple Leafs would try to move the defenceman to the Islanders in a draft-day deal and would not cosnsider a buy-out.

“We continue to hear that the Leafs want to trade Bryan McCabe. Bryan has a no-move clause in his contract that was negotiated with and agreed to by the Leafs. Bryan is not inclined to waive the no-move clause,” Pulver told Sportsnet.ca. “He enjoys living and playing in Toronto and the team is a first-class organization. Bryan has logged more minutes than any other Leafs player in the past seven years and given his heart and soul to this franchise. If the Leafs want to move forward without Bryan they should buy out the remaining years on his contract.”

The report suggested that McCabe might be willing to accept a trade to Long Island, where he and his wife reside during the off-season.

McCabe still has three years remaining on a six-year deal that pays the defenceman around $5.75 million per season.

Until the next episode of “As the McCabe Rumor turns!”

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