Flyers acquire MacDonald from Islanders

The Flyers have acquired defenseman Andrew MacDonald from the New York Islanders. (Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com)

The Flyers have used the final hours before the trade deadline to bolster the blue line.

The Flyers have acquired defenseman Andrew MacDonald from the New York Islanders in exchange for two draft picks and prospect Matt Mangene.

MacDonald, a former teammate of Mark Streit, joins the Flyers after 63 games with the Islanders this season. He had four goals and 20 assists in that time. 

MacDonald was also in the final year of his contract with the Islanders which is why he was certainly movable as the deadline approached. It still remains to be seen whether the Flyers view this deal as a rental or an eventual long-term signings. MacDonald does give the Flyers some youth on the blue line, being just 27 years old.

MacDonald is not much of an offensive defenseman with just 89 points over six seasons of his NHL career. However, MacDonald was one of the most disciplined defensemen on the Islanders, and had averaged more playing time in New York than any Flyers player to this point in the season.

MacDonald is expected to join the Flyers in time for Wednesday night's game against the Washington Capitals. There are also other potential moves the Flyers could make to restock the draft picks, possibly moving Andrej Meszaros or Luke Schenn.

Kevin Durso is the lead beat writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.