Mike Brehm

USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders continued their early run at NHL free agents by acquiring the rights to San Jose Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle on Thursday.

They shipped a conditional fifth-round 2015 pick to the Sharks that would become a fourth-rounder if they sign Boyle.

"I didn't see it coming down with the Islanders, per se, but we had expected San Jose to take a look around and trade Dan's rights," said Boyle's agent, George Bazos.

In May, the Islanders traded for pending free agent goaltender Jaroslav Halak and signed him to a four-year, $18 million contract. They gave up a fourth-round pick to gain his rights.

Boyle, 37, led Sharks defensemen in points (36) and goals (12) in 75 games this season while averaging a team-best 21:16 in ice time. He had four assists in seven playoff games. He won a Stanley Cup with the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning.

Boyle, a two-time All-Star, is coming off a six-year, $40 million contract.

"(Islanders general manager) Garth (Snow) called me to tell me they had acquired Dan's rights and tell me how excited they were, and at some point down the road, after Dan gets a comfort level, they'd like to talk further," the agent said.

The Islanders struggled last season after they couldn't re-sign defenseman Mark Streit and sent him to the Philadelphia Flyers. They had the 17th-ranked power play and 29th-ranked penalty kill. Boyle scored half of his points on the power play, though he didn't skate much on the penalty kill.

New York dropped from a playoff team to 26th overall and chose to hang on to its fifth overall pick in June after signing Halak. As a result, the Islanders will have to give up their first-round pick in the deeper 2015 draft to the Buffalo Sabres because of last fall's Thomas Vanek deal.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said last month that he wouldn't be offering Boyle a contract and Thursday's trade gives him something in return.

Whether that move pans out for the Islanders remains to be seen.

"We'll definitely talk," Bazos said. "It's impossible to characterize which way the talks will go and what Dan will decide to do."

The Islanders would have a little more than three weeks to get a deal done before Boyle can hit the open market.

"(Pending free agents are) always excited to see what their options are, come July 1, but at the same time, it's exciting when a team steps up and trades for you as well," Bazos said.