The last time the New York Islanders made a selection in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, they selected Simon Holmstrom 23rd overall pick back in 2019.
At the 2020 trade deadline, team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello swapped the Isles’ first pick for center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and did the same a year later to bring in Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from New Jersey. Lamoriello waited until the day of the draft last year before sending the 13th overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Alex Romonov. This year, the Islanders are once again without their first-round selection, as it’s now the property of the Vancouver Canucks as a result of the deal that brought Bo Horvat to Long Island.
While in a vacuum, each of those moves has panned out, with each player signing a long-term extension with the team following the trade (except for Zajac, who retired following the 20-2021 season), the lack of high-end draft choices has left the New York Islanders with an aging core and thin organizational depth as they’re set to miss out on making a first-round selection for the fourth straight year,
Or is there potential room for a deal to be made, this time with the Islanders receiving a first round pick? This wouldn’t be a move to down the entire organization, but more so one to bring in much-needed reinforcements of youth.
The St. Louis Blues hold three first-round picks in this year’s draft, the highest of which being 10th overall. Could Blues GM Doug Armstrong be willing to send one of those picks the Islanders’ way? It’s at least worth the call.
Picking at 13th overall, the Buffalo Sabres may prove to be a decent trade partner. Buffalo was in the thick of the wildcard race towards the tail end of the season and joined the buyer’s market at the deadline after being perpetual sellers for years. With the youngest roster in the league and $17 million in cap space this offseason, the Sabres certainly have the room to take on a veteran player with a high cap hit to bring some leadership into the room.
NHL Draft Lottery:
We have t-minus 50 days until Connor Bedard becomes a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago won last night’s NHL Draft Lottery despite only having the third-highest odds among the teams eligible. The rest of the draft lottery results are as follows:
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Anaheim Ducks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- San Jose Sharks
- Montreal Canadiens
- Arizona Coyotes
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Washington Capitals
- Detroit Red Wings
- St. Louis Blues
- Vancouver Canucks
- Arizona Coyotes (via Ottawa Senators)
- Buffalo Sabres
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Nashville Predators
- Calgary Flames
NHL Playoffs:
Jack Eichel tallied three points while Adin Hill slammed the door off the bench for the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers to help Vegas take a 2-1 series lead.
The New Jersey Devils sent a message to the Carolina Hurricanes that they weren’t going down easy with an 8-4 win on Sunday night. They’ll try to even the series tonight at two games aside.
Jake Oettinger allowed five goals in the second period and was pulled entering the third as the Dallas Stars lost to the Seattle Kraken 7-2 on Sunday and now trail in the series 2-1. We’ll see if Dallas head coach Peter DeBoer sends Oettinger back out in Game 4 starting tonight at 9:30 p.m. EST.
More from National Hockey Now:
Boston Bruins: Ullmark comes to defense of B’s Montgomery following first round exit
Detroit Red Wings: Former Red Wing Vic Stasiuk passes away at 93
Calgary Flames: Has Tyler Toffoli played his last game in Calgary?
