Islanders trade Devon Toews to Colorado Avalanche

The New York Islanders made a move by shipping defenseman Devon Toews to the Colorado Avalanche for two second-round picks.

The New York Islanders made a move today by sending RFA defenseman Devon Toews to the Colorado Avalanche for two second-round picks. The Islanders get a second-round pick in 2021 and another in 2022. Both belong to Colorado.

The Islanders had been looking to make cap space through the offseason to sign their three prime RFA

Mathew Barzal

,

Ryan Pulock

, and the now-departed Devon Toews. I guess this is a way to make cap space by not having to re-sign a player.

Good Move For Him

Devon Toews (a fourth-round pick in 2014) didn’t make his NHL debut with the Islanders until midway through the 2018-19 season when Thomas Hickey was sidelined with an injury. His strong offensive play and ability to quarterback a power play kept him in the lineup over the veteran D-man.

Toews continued his strong offensive play in 19-20, putting up 28 points for an offensively stingy Islanders team. His points may not scream “great offensive abilities”, but his underlying numbers sure do.

Moving Devon Toews was a possibility for the Islanders who needed to address their poor offense over the last two years. Moving him in a package for a top-six winger would have been ideal. Now it seems that this trade allows the Islanders to bring in an asset to move Johnny Boychuk and his $6 million cap hit through the next two seasons.

With Devon Toews gone, the Isles lose one of their puck-moving and top power-play defenseman. A mantle that will certainly return to Nick Leddy who saw his ice time and power-play time cut with the emergence of Devon Toews.

Of course, this could all change by the time the 2020-21 regular-season starts and what other moves the Islanders make by then.

For Devon Toews, he steps into a top-notch squad in the Colorado Avalanche (days after getting married) who are sure to compete for a Stanley Cup in 2020-21. It’s a good move for a player that is sure to put up a ton of points next season.