SUNRISE, Fla. -- Last year, Islanders' general manager Mike Milbury made the most talked about move in the National Hockey League entry draft when for the first time ever he selected a goaltender -- Rick DiPietro -- with the No. 1 overall selection.

	The Islanders now must sign Alexei Yashin, who becomes a restricted free agent on July 1.

Yesterday, Milbury again was the talk of the draft when he dealt away the No. 2 overall pick to the Ottawa Senators along with defenseman Zdeno Chara and right wing Bill Muckalt for enigmatic center Alexei Yashin.

The acquisition of Yashin gives the hapless Islanders a much needed lifeline and a legitimate chance at climbing out of the basement, where they've resided for far too long.

"We gave up one player off our roster [Chara] who was playing for our team last year to get a premium centerman who we've been searching for for a long time," said Milbury. "We've had the unfortunate pleasure of drafting very low for the last few years. I think as an organization, we needed somebody with a credential, somebody with star power we can rally around and this guy certainly has that. You never want to give up a pick that high but you have to give to get. I think we did the best we could under the circumstances. We're happy to have a first-line center."

Yes, Yashin has tremendous talent. This past year, he racked up 40 goals and 88 points. However, Yashin also sat out all of last season because he wanted to force the Senators to renegotiate his contract and the club refused to give into the blackmail so Yashin sat.

Milbury said he's well aware of the baggage that Yashin comes in with and believes that he'll be able to get a deal done with the player, who becomes a restricted [Group II] free agent on July 1.

	“	I'm looking forward to sitting down with his agent [Mark Gandler] and getting a contract done as quickly as possible. I really lied there, I'm not looking forward to it at all. I think everybody deserves a chance to make some mistakes. God knows I feel that way about my own situation. ”
		— Mike Milbury, N.Y. Islanders general manager

"I haven't spoken to Alexei," said Milbury. "I've got to think he's probably learned some valuable lessons during that time frame. I'm looking forward to sitting down with his agent [Mark Gandler] and getting a contract done as quickly as possible. I really lied there, I'm not looking forward to it at all. I think everybody deserves a chance to make some mistakes. God knows I feel that way about my own situation. I think most people tell us that he's a nice guy, he's a straightforward kid. Yes, there are some things he may have done that were perceived in different ways. Hey, this is a fresh start for him and a fresh start for the Islanders."

Milbury said he asked Ottawa general manager Marshall Johnston about starting talks with Yashin on a deal prior to the Senators trading him but Johnston said no.

"I don't blame him for not being anxious to allow us that," said Milbury. "He didn't allow us that opportunity but it didn't get in our way. He still has arbitration rights and we're hoping if we can't come to a deal, then at the appropriate time he'd exercise those rights to avoid any long-term squabble. That's one thing I'm sure he doesn't want to get into again."

On the upside, there's no denying Yashin's on-ice flourish. He's big, strong and gifted. He's also enigmatic. Of course, he was a complete bust in the playoffs this year but if the Islanders get that far, they'll cross that bridge when they get to it.

"Most importantly, he brings offense," said Milbury. "He's going to make the people around him better players. He's clearly going to make our power play much better. He fills in an awful lot of gaps for us and again, we took only one player off our roster to acquire this guy."

With so many big-name players available, Milbury talked to many different teams about making deals and when it came down to it, what the Senators were offering made the most sense.

"We looked in a lot of different directions but coming into this situation we had our eyes on him and one or two others," he said. "We narrowed our focus and the deal we were able to craft with Ottawa was one we could live with and one they could live with so when it came to that, we decided to push forward. We're always ready to make deals that will make the team better. We are still young. I think Yashin brings some leadership to the room. We could use some more."

	“	I can't imagine he's going to want to sit out not only because of the cost in his public life but the cost in terms of dollars. I trust he'll be reasonable. If we can't something done by the time he's ready to declare for arbitration rights, he could certainly go ahead and do that. ”
		— Mike Milbury, N.Y. Islanders general manager

Milbury said as far as he is concerned, Yashin will come to Long Island with a clean slate and a chance to start over.

"I try to put myself in his shoes," said Milbury. "It would've been much easier on me had he been signed but here's a guy who went through a terrible situation in Ottawa. He made a decision that, I haven't talked to him about it, but he's got to reflect on that as having had so many repercussions that maybe he would've wanted to play it a different way. I can't imagine he's going to want to sit out not only because of the cost in his public life but the cost in terms of dollars. I trust he'll be reasonable. If we can't something done by the time he's ready to declare for arbitration rights, he could certainly go ahead and do that. There have been some pretty significant awards in arbitration that he could maybe hang his hat on. One way or another, I'd really like to get it done."

Unlike in the past, the club has committed to spending more money in an effort to turn their fortunes around.

"Of the top 18 scorers in the league, 12 were available either by trade or through free agency," he said. "That's a statement on the economic realities of our game today. The only reason these guys are being traded is for money. Fortunately, in our case, we now have a little extra to play with."

For the Senators, it was a chance to get rid of a headache and start over with a potential franchise center in Jason Spezza.

"We're looking forward to turning the page," said Johnston. "We're looking forward to moving on. To be that critical would be unfair because Alexei brought a lot of success and contributed to a lot of the Ottawa Senators' previous success but the Ottawa Senators are going to be in Ottawa a long time and we felt this was an opportunity for us to move on."

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe covers the Eastern Conference for ESPN.com.