The New Jersey Devils cleared some salary cap space on Thursday afternoon, sending expensive forward Brian Rolston through New York City to Long Island, where he'll join his new team, the New York Islanders. Hopping on the train in the opposite direction is Trent Hunter, the 31-year-old forward.
Brian Rolston Traded From New Jersey Devils To New York Islanders For Trent Hunter
It’s clear on the motivation for both teams here. For Garth Snow and the Islanders, they needed to reach the salary floor, and even adding the $3 million to their pay roll, they still have plenty of work to do on that front. CapGeek.com reports that the Isles are still $5.9 million under that floor despite the trade.
For the Devils, it's all about signing Zach Parise. The 27-year-old star doesn't have a contract for the upcoming season and Lou Lamoriello had to clear space to fit him under the cap. CapGeek also reports that the Devils have about $8 million available to sign Parise now, which should likely get the job done.
Rolston had to waive a no-trade clause to make the deal possible, telling Newsday’s Katie Strang through his agent that he accepted a trade to the Islanders because he likes their young team.
For more on the trade, visit our blogs: In Lou We Trust covering the Devils and Lighthouse Hockey covering the Islanders.
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