Islanders acquire goalie Halak from Capitals

The Washington Capitals traded goaltender Jaroslav Halak to the New York Islanders on Thursday for a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.

Halak will become an unrestricted free agent July 1, giving the Islanders two months to sign the Slovakia native to a contract extension.

This season, Halak, 28, had a 24-9-4 record and 2.23 goals-against average with the St. Louis Blues before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 28. Halak never suited up for Buffalo, which traded him to Washington on March 5. In 12 games with the Capitals, he had a 5-4-3 record with a 2.31 GAA and .930 save percentage.

The fourth-round pick Washington receives originally belonged to the Chicago Blackhawks, who traded the selection to the Islanders on Feb. 6 for forwards Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Peter Regin.