The New York Islanders had the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, but that wasn't the only move they made Friday night. Shorly before making their selection the team traded their second round 2013 NHL Draft selection to the Anaheim Ducks, getting defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky in return. They followed that up by drafting another defenseman, Griffin Reinhart, addressing needs on defense in both the immediate and long-term future. The official Islanders website spoke to some current Islanders players, who sound quite pleased with the decisions:
"I thought [Visnovsky] was a real good pickup for us," [Islanders forward Matt Moulson] said. "I had a chance to play with him a bit in LA and he’s an extremely skilled defenseman. "He’s been in this league for awhile. He knows what’s going on in the locker room, he knows how to play the game well and he knows how to teach younger guys."
The 6-foot-4, 207-pound Reinhart may be one of those younger guys Visnovsky has a chance to teach. Reinhart was a major contributor to the Edmonton Oil Kings' Western Hockey League playoff run, something not lost on Islanders GM Garth Snow:
"We were ecstatic to have the opportunity to select him," Snow said. "He’s obviously got size and hockey sense. He comes from a winning program and he’s going to fit in great with our young core."
It was a big draft for the Islanders defense. With two moves in the span of just a few minutes, the Islanders gave fans something to look forward to next season and well beyond.
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