Islanders trade Devon Toews to Avs for 2 draft picks

The New York Islanders have traded defenseman Devon Toews to the Colorado Avalanche for a pair of second-round picks, the team announced Monday.

The Avs had an opening on their blue line after they shipped rearguard Nikita Zadorov to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Brandon Saad on Saturday.

Toews, who's currently a restricted free agent, recorded 28 points in 68 games while averaging 20:31 per contest with the Isles last season. The 26-year-old has posted great advanced metrics while playing top-four minutes on one of the league's best defensive teams, according to HockeyViz's five-on-five isolated impact:

Positive is good in the offensive zone (top), negative is good in the defensive zone (bottom)

The Avalanche's defense projects to look very strong on paper, per Daily Faceoff.

The Avs still have promising defensive prospects Bowen Byram and Conor Timmins in their system, too.

Colorado has $6.8 million in projected cap space, per CapFriendly. In addition to Toews, the Avs have two other RFAs - Tyson Jost and Vladislav Kamenev - left to re-sign.

The Islanders, meanwhile, may not have been able to afford Toews. The team has $8.9 million in projected cap space but still needs to sign key RFAs Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock.