Islanders' Boychuk says expectations are high for next season

New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk expects only the best from his team.

After the Islanders' best regular season finish in 30 years last season, Boychuk insists the club must enter the 2015-16 campaign motivated to do even better.

"They (expectations) have to be higher every year, regardless if you win or lose, expectations always have to be higher," Boychuk told NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. "We're a good team, from the previous years to last year, we've been able to make a big jump. We've been able to turn things around and now we are winning, and it's fun to be a part of."

It is for that reason that Boychuk decided to sign to a seven-year contract extension with the Islanders. The prospect of winning was too much for the 31-year-old to pass up.

"A lot of my re-signing with the Islanders had to do with how young we were and how good we are," Boychuk said. "You could see the good thing they are building there and how good we're going to be for a long time because of how young we are. It's just a good situation to be in."