Changes were bound to come. Pierre-Marc Bouchard appears to be the start.

On Monday, the New York Islanders announced that Bouchard has been placed on waivers and the expectation is that 2011 first-round pick Ryan Strome will be making his way to San Jose to join the team.

Bouchard is on a one-year deal worth $2 million. With nine points in 28 games and a 51.1-percent Corsi, which measure shot attempts, there's a pretty good chance some team will grab the 29-year old forward.

The Islanders are 14th in the Eastern Conference, 2-12-2 in their last 16 games and finish up their current west coast road trip with Anaheim, San Jose and Phoenix. By the time they return to Nassau Coliseum this weekend, the distance between them and a playoff spot could be, well, uglier.

General manager Garth Snow and owner Charles Wang were in attendance for the Islanders' 3-0 loss to the Kings Saturday night, getting a good look at just how much work is needed on the roster.

Said Snow to Newsday's Arthur Staple: "Obviously, we have some key players not performing at a high enough level. I understand the frustrations of our fans. We have those same frustrations in our locker room, in the coaches' room, for myself. We felt we had guys who were ready to take the next step. Now we're just trying to right the ship and win a few games."

While Strome has been on fire with 17 points in his last nine games and leads the AHL in scoring, he's also not a defenseman or a goaltender. Staple reports that Snow has been searching for a netminder, but the right deal hasn't come along. It might be the right time for a Strome promotion, but like the Thomas Vanek deal, it's another move that doesn't address a pressing need for the team to be successful this season.

According to Sports Club Stats, the Islanders have a 0.5-percent chance to make the playoffs. Time is running out, and possibly not just for the team's playoff hopes.

- - - - - - -

Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @Sean_Leahy