As of Monday evening, the Islanders were unable to come to an agreement with pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Dan Boyle, who declared his intent to the club that he wanted to experience July 1 — the start of free agency — according to a source.
The Islanders have offered him a two-year deal between $4-4.5 million per season since they obtained him from the Sharks in an early-June trade in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick. If Boyle did sign, that pick would have become a fourth rounder for San Jose in 2015, but as of now, that is looking unlikely.
The odds of general manager Garth Snow being able to trade his rights Tuesday morning is doubtful, as Boyle and his agent have already heard from numerous teams — including the Rangers — during the free-agent interview period that started last Wednesday. Boyle will turn 38 on July 12.
The Islanders also laid out qualifying offers to restricted free agents Calvin de Haan, Matt Donovan, Kevin Poulin, Anders Nilsson, Anders Lee, Casey Cizikas, Brett Gallant and Aaron Ness.