Country Club Islanders? With the 2024 NHL Draft just over a month away, the New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks traded picks on Friday. The team announced New York dealt their first-round pick (18th overall) and second-round pick (50th overall) in exchange for a first-round pick (20th overall) and two second-rounders (54th and 61st). Both picks the Islanders dealt were their own selections in the draft, determined by their finishing position in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, two of the picks acquired by the Islanders originally belonged to other teams. Pick number 20 first belonged to the Tampa Bay Lightning but was dealt in the Brandon Hagel deal. Pick number 54 was always Chicago's property, but the 61st overall was dealt to the Blackhawks from the Vancouver Canucks with Jason Dickinson. With the trade, the Islanders now have six picks in this year's draft. The team is without a third-round pick this season, traded in the Pierre Engvall deal last year, but will now have a pair of seconds instead. The Islanders will also be down their seventh-rounder due to the Robert Bortuzzo trade. The NHL Draft will take place on June 28 & 29 in Las Vegas.
