Islanders acquire Vanek from Sabres

Thomas Vanek is now a member of the New York Islanders.

The Islanders acquired the left wing from the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night in exchange for left wing Matt Moulson, New York's first-round pick in 2014 and a 2015 second-round pick.

Vanek, 29, has four goals and five assists in 13 games for the Sabres this season. Buffalo's first-round pick (No. 5) at the 2003 NHL Draft, he has 254 goals and 243 assists in 598 games, all with the Sabres. The 6-foot-2, 217 pound forward has played in 36 Stanley Cup Playoff games, totaling 20 points (15 goals, five assists).

New York is coming off a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night, which dropped its record to 4-4-3. Islanders general manager Garth Snow feels his club is capable of more.

Vanek is expected to make his Islanders debut Tuesday night against the New York Rangers at the Coliseum.

"I can tell you I'm not happy with where we are record-wise. We're better than this," Snow told Newsday. "I wasn't going to sit by and let games pass."

Moulson, 29, was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Islanders in the summer of 2009. He enjoyed three straight seasons of 30 or more goals for New York and went 15-29-44 in 47 games last season. Moulson had nine points (six goals, three assists) in 11 games for the Islanders this season.

The Sabres host the Dallas Stars on Monday night.

"I believe Matt will address our current needs and provide us with support, leadership, scoring," Sabres general manager Darcy Regier told reporters. "With where our hockey club is, the first- and the second-round picks are important. Whether we use the picks to select players at the draft or whether we use them to continue to improve the hockey club as we go forward through this season has yet to be determined. But, that was the focus for this deal."

Vanek and Moulson are both set to become unrestricted free agents next July.

"Would like to thank all the great people and fans I was able to meet in NY..I will miss you all..this is the beginning of a new chapter," Moulson tweeted Sunday night.

Follow Brian Compton on Twitter: @BComptonNHL

Would like to thank all the great people and fans I was able to meet in NY..I will miss you all..this is the beginning of a new chapter

— Matt Moulson (@MMoulson) October 28, 2013

Thank you Buffalo! I really enjoyed my time here, my wife and I got to raise our family in a great community.. Excited to join @NYIslanders

— Thomas Vanek (@T_Vanek26) October 28, 2013