UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The New York Islanders traded veteran defenseman Andrew MacDonald to the Metropolitan Division rival Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday for a pair of draft picks and minor league center Matt Mangene.
The deal was announced one day before the NHL trade deadline and several hours before the Islanders played the Jets in Winnipeg. Philadelphia will host Washington tonight, following the afternoon dealing deadline.
MacDonald will bolster the Flyers defense corps as they push for a playoff spot. Philadelphia, which also has former Islanders defenseman Mark Streit on the back end, is currently in second place in the Metropolitan, one point ahead of the New York Rangers and two points above the postseason cutoff.
Streit, who spent time as MacDonald’s defense partner with New York, was traded to the Flyers last June after serving as Islanders team captain. He then signed a four-year, $21 million contract less than a week after the deal, before he could become a free agent.
New York is in a selling mode now, all but certain to fail in its bid to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The Islanders, who are last in the division, acquired a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a second-round choice in 2015, along with Mangene.
The Islanders had arguably the top available defenseman and forward in this year’s trade market. Leading scorer Thomas Vanek, acquired earlier this season from Buffalo, also is expected to be dealt before today’s deadline.
The 27-year-old MacDonald, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has four goals and 20 assists in 63 games this season. He leads the NHL with 198 blocked shots and is eighth in average ice time per game at 25 minutes, 25 seconds.
In 295 career NHL games over six seasons, all with the Islanders, MacDonald has 17 goals and 72 assists. He was chosen by New York in the sixth round of the 2006 draft.
