The 2025 NHL Draft is just two weeks away. The New York Islanders have the first overall pick for the first time since 2009, and there is a chance they add more than one stud to their roster. It's possible that the Islanders could have two picks in the top five if they trade back into the first round to draft Long Island native James Hagens.
Islanders fans are getting pretty excited about the potential of the Hauppauge native coming home while also seeing the Islanders take a game-changing blue-liner if they ultimately go with Matthew Schaefer at No. 1.
Fans should be excited, but everyone must understand that the Islanders won't own the potential Hagens pick prior to draft night on June 27. So, there's no potential trade incoming, even if that's the talk of the town.
And there's a really simple reason as to why.
If the Islanders are trading back into the first round, it's to select Hagens unless there's another prospect the club has its sights set on.
However, outside of knowing who they are going with at No. 1, the Islanders have no idea what will happen from pick 2 and beyond.
The belief is that Michael Misa will go No. 2 to the San Jose Sharks, but who knows?
Maybe Anton Frondell goes to the Chicago Blackhawks at 3.
Again, who knows?
If the Islanders were to trade with the Utah Mammoth for pick No. 4, let's say, next week, and Hagens goes No. 3 to Chicago, that's an irreversible "oh no."
I reported over at The Elmonters that Darche spoke with Utah GM Bill Armstrong at the 2025 NHL Draft Combine.
I wouldn't be surprised if Darche spoke with the other GMs who own top-10 picks to see if they can work on frameworks for deals if the Islanders want to get back in, the asking prices if you will.
One would think that any deal to move back into the first round would involve either the Islanders’ 2026 first-overall pick or the Colorado Avalanche’s first, which came to Long Island in the Brock Nelson trade.
Other picks and/or prospects would likely need to be added to the deal for it to be effective.
Remember, Hagens is more valuable to the Islanders than any other team, and other teams are aware of this. The leverage won’t be in the Islanders’ favor, that’s for sure, unless they were willing to dangle a major piece like pending restricted free agent Noah Dobson.
There’s no question Hagens wants to be an Islander.
“You grow up around an Islanders fan. You grow up around the team, going to the Nassau Coliseum. It's really surreal now that you know you're shooting in the room, potentially getting drafted by a team like that. So, it's one of the coolest moments,” Hagens told me and the rest of the local beat at the 2025 NHL Draft Combine.
He shared one of his favorite Islanders memories:
“I remember showing up to a Luke Bryan concert as a little kid. Still have the picture up on my wall, and we were able to bump into Matt Martin. That’s one of those moments. He's a great human being. I remember he had like a 10-minute conversation with my dad, just about the Isles and the island and whatnot. So, he's a special, special person. To be a little kid that grew up idolizing the Islanders and a guy like that who brings so much energy to the team, that was probably one of the cooler moments.”
As I’ve mentioned numerous times, it will come down to how much the Islanders value making sure that Hagens plays for their team and their team only.
Now, what about the Islanders making other trades this offseason?
Could we see those trades come at the draft? I won’t rule them out, and I’m sure teams have expressed interest in acquiring specific players at the draft.
Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is in the final season of his deal that carries a $5 million cap hit, could be on the move. So could defenseman Scott Mayfield, who is entering the third season of a seven-year deal worth $3.5 million.
Maybe even center Casey Cizikas, who has two years left on his deal at $2.5 million annually. Cizikas has zero trade protection.
Pageau has a 16-team modified no-trade clause, and Mayfield has a full no-trade clause.
Because of trade clauses, deals can become complicated, and it’s not just an Islanders issue but an NHL hurdle for general managers across the league. While the Islanders could receive a call regarding the named players or others, Darche would have to decide if the offer he receives makes sense.
However, he and his staff must also consider whether they can secure a better deal at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, which is for players on expiring contracts, or at the 2026 NHL Draft, which is expected to be a much deeper one.
The Islanders announced that Pageau, Cizikas, Mayfield, and Ryan Pulock will be the current players who will be making an appearance at the Islanders 2025 NHL Draft Party at UBS Arena. Now, that doesn’t mean the Islanders can’t move any of those names during the draft — it certainly would be extremely awkward — but I do think Darche does hold on to all of them, at least for now.
I recall that numerous rumors circulated leading up to the 2022 NHL Draft, suggesting that the Islanders would be moving forward with Anthony Beauvillier, who had one season remaining on his contract.
When we got up to Montreal for the draft, Beauvillier was sitting at the Islanders’ draft table, and he wasn’t moved. He was ultimately moved as part of the Bo Horvat deal the following January.
Buckle up, Islanders fans, because these next two weeks will be very, very long as we count down the days unitl Day 1.
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