By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun

Walking along the French Rivieria, former Senators centre Alexei
Yashin sounded like a man with a new lease on life. 

"I'm looking forward to the challenge of helping the New York Islanders get to the playoffs," Yashin told the Sun last night from France, where he's vacationing with girlfriend/actress Carol Alt for the next three weeks. 

Traded by the Senators to the Islanders during Saturday's NHL entry
draft, Yashin, 27, spoke for the first time about the blockbuster deal
which brought Ottawa defenceman Zdeno Chara, winger Bill Muckalt
and the No. 2 pick (Jason Spezza). 

While it will be difficult for him to leave the Senators after eight years
wearing the No. 19 jersey, Yashin knew the time for change had come
and he wasn't surprised when the deal was announced. 

Though his relationship with the Senators has been rocky at times,
Yashin is going to miss Ottawa. 

"I've been there for eight years and in that time I've made a lot of
friends and I've had good teammates. That is going to make it hard for
me to leave, but I have to look at this as exciting because I'm going to
New York," said Yashin. 

"There have been people in Ottawa who have supported me, like the
fans, and I have always appreciated that support. The people who know me know that I always did the best I could and played with all my heart when I put on that jersey. 

"But the time has come to turn the page and try to help the New York
Islanders to get to the next level. That's going to be a challenge, but we
went through it in Ottawa and I'm very proud of what we
accomplished." 

The first player taken by the Senators, chosen second overall at the
1992 NHL draft in Montreal, Yashin is the last link to the club's rebirth. He helped this team grow from a pretender to a contender. 

DIFFICULT TIMES 

"When I got there, when I was 18 years old, we were a team that was
building," said Yashin. "We went through a lot of difficult times to get to
where we wanted, to try to contend for the Stanley Cup. 

"We worked hard to become a winner in Ottawa and we had to pay the price. I know people didn't always agree that I was giving everything I had for that team, but I was, and I was proud that we were able to achieve the things we did. 

"We would have liked to have had more success in the playoffs, but we had a team that challenged for first in the East." 

Now Yashin is excited about what lies ahead with the Islanders. GM
Mike Milbury also picked up centre Michael Peca Sunday in a trade
with the Buffalo Sabres. 

The Islanders still have to improve their goaltending, but they've
suddenly become a team which could be a contender in the East. Yashin and Peca bring them immediate respectability and they've got a solid core of young players. 

WANTED TO GO THERE 

"Players say this a lot, but I really mean it when I tell you that the New
York Islanders were the team I wanted to go to," Yashin said. "I think I can be good for the Islanders and I know the Islanders are going to bе good for me. 

"I like everything about the situation. I like Long Island and Manhattan. I really like our team. I just heard about Peca, so I'm even more happy
now because Mike's a great guy and a great player and I don't have to
go up against him anymore." 

Nobody was more excited about the move than Alt. She was born on
Long Island, attended nearby Hofstra University and recently bought an apartment in New York. 

"We were in Italy when we got the message from Mike (Milbury) that
they had made the trade. Carol was just so excited about me going
there. This is going to work out just perfect," said Yashin.