It’s officially the eve of the NHL Draft. The New York Islanders will add, in General Manager Mathieu Darche’s words, “A Special Player.”
That special player, barring a stunner, will be Matthew Schaefer. All across the NHL, chatter grows. It’s truly becoming the world’s worst-kept secret that the Islanders are desperate to land another high draft choice to land James Hagens.
But, what if they strike out? Or if, say, the Pittsburgh Penguins or Philadelphia Flyers beat them to the punch? Both teams have expressed clear interest in Hagens, the Hauppauge native. If the Islanders fail to acquire that pick, it becomes likely that they will have a tranquil rest of the night.
Last night, Utah acquired JJ Peterka, a rumored trade target of the Islanders. There are other targets, ones that the Islanders always preferred to Peterka, still out there.
Let’s get to the most recent chatter.
The Latest Talk Surrounding the Islanders:
Rumors continue to swirl this morning regarding Jordan Kyrou, Noah Dobson, the St. Louis Blues, and the Islanders. Yesterday, I linked Kyrou as the top active NHL player the Islanders could acquire, barring Jason Robertson becoming available.
Elliotte Friedman, on the radio, reported the Islanders are pursuing a high draft pick.
Publicly, all Darche has said is how badly he wants to sign Dobson to an extension, along with his other key RFAs. I do believe he speaks the truth. As much as Dobson’s been linked away, his value is still immense to the Islanders.
If they’re acquiring a player like Kyrou, that makes a deal more plausible. I remain unconvinced that the Islanders would deal Dobson for a straight draft pick. Though after Utah traded Michael Kesselring, there’s a clear gap on their right side, even with Sean Durzi and John Marino locked in.
Dobson’s final sticking point on a contract could ultimately decide his fate on Long Island. The Draft starts in less than 36 hours. Time could be running out for Darche to make his big decision.
Would a Quiet Draft Be a Bad Thing?
Now let’s circle back to the initial point made. If the Islanders strike out on landing Hagens, could Friday become a long, quiet night for the Islanders?
Yes, it definitely can. But would that be a bad thing? It depends on who you ask. The Islanders and Darche will not rush into any rash decisions, especially if they miss out on Hagens. While they’ll continue to work phones for other trade options, Darche will not sell low on Dobson.
Acquiring a player like Kyrou or Robertson would become the goal. Robertson may not be available at this time. Kyrou, however, is very available thanks to his full no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1. The Islanders may even think they can squeeze more out of St. Louis for Kyrou, in an extra draft pick or two.
But if that doesn’t happen, then the odds of draft night fireworks fall even lower. Teams are calling on Jean-Gabriel Pageau, but the Islanders haven’t seemed overly motivated to move the valuable center as of yet.
A quiet draft sets up a quiet summer. While the Islanders could and absolutely would look at deals after the draft, the window between that and July 1 is tiny.
That’s what, it seems, fans fear the most. If the Islanders don’t shake anything up this weekend, then they won’t have much, if any, wiggle room for the UFA market besides bargain bin shopping.
The big calling card for this summer has been a need for change. If the only significant changes are the retirement of Matt Martin and the dismissal of Lou Lamoriello, portions of the fan base will not be happy.
The prevailing assumption has been that roster change is coming. With the draft drawing nearer and nearer, restlessness on Long Island grows. The only cure at this time? Patience.
