Isles Day to Day: Boychuk's Rights Traded to Buffalo

The New York Islanders
dealt the rights to Johnny Boychuk to the Buffalo Sabres
for future considerations on Thursday afternoon, a deal that helps both teams at opposite ends of the salary cap spectrum.
Given Boychuk's status on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), the result of an eye injury suffered on Mar. 3, 2020, the Islanders were prevented from accumulating unused cap space. By trading his rights, the Islanders will be under the NHL's $81.5M salary cap.
The Sabres will use Boychuk's salary to help get to the NHL's salary cap floor after trading Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights. The NHL's salary cap floor is currently $60.2M.

"It really helps both teams," Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said. "In our situation, it gives ourselves the ability to take ourselves out of long term injury, which allows us, with the cap space we have now, to accumulate as the season progresses. Even though you have cap space on long term injury, you cannot accumulate any more cap space if not used as you go forward. That's what it does for us."

Lamoriello said Boychuk was supportive of paper transaction. Boychuk has been in Edmonton, his offseason home, since the start of the season and will remain there during the year. Boychuk worked with the Islanders last season, participating in practices in a skills and coaching capacity. Lamoriello said the Islanders would welcome Boychuk back in a hockey ops capacity, should he want it, after his contract expires this season.
"He knows what the value is to us and also knew what the value would be to a team who acquired his contract," Lamoriello said of Boychuk. "As far as the future after this year, it's really up to John. We'd certainly welcome him back with open arms in any capacity that he'd like to come because of the assets and qualities that he has."
Boychuk played 725 NHL games in his career, accumulating 206 points (54G, 152A) and winning a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. Boychuk played 404 games with the Islanders from 2014-20, with 131 points (35G, 96A) over that span. Boychuk's last game was Sept. 17, 2020 in a Game 6 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final and he announced the end of his career on Nov. 25, 2020.