Yesterday, my colleague Stefen Rosner of the New York Islanders’ team site reported that Utah Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong and Islanders GM Mathieu Darche were seen having conversations at the 2025 NHL Draft Combine.
It’s no secret that the Islanders hold the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and have a great opportunity to reshape their roster and the future of the organization. As for the Mammoth, there’s been plenty of speculation that they’re open to moving the fourth overall pick if the right deal presents itself.
So what could these two clubs have been discussing at the combine? There are plenty of possibilities, but Rosner pointed out: “Conversations between Utah and the Islanders could involve several factors, from the Islanders trading down in the draft to No. 4 and potentially selecting Long Island native James Hagens to maybe the availability of restricted free agent forward Simon Holmstrom.”
He also mentioned that Anthony Duclair could be a target for Utah. That said, I’d lean toward the belief that if Utah is actually willing to trade the fourth overall pick, it would take more than just Holmstrom or Duclair to make it happen.
Interestingly enough, Rosner agrees. He noted that Utah could be looking for help on the backend. “Looking at Utah’s backend, they could use a player like Alexander Romanov — of course, a Noah Dobson is intriguing too — maybe even a Scott Mayfield, if Robert Bortuzzo, a pending unrestricted free agent, isn’t brought back.”
If Utah parts with the fourth overall pick and gives up the chance to draft a potential star like James Hagens, Porter Martone, or Brady Martin, it would have to be in a deal that includes a big return — and someone like Dobson would likely need to be part of it.
That said, I personally don’t see the Mammoth moving that pick unless the offer truly changes the trajectory of the franchise. Still, it’s always interesting to see how many GMs were spotted talking shop at the draft combine, which is the final time this season that they’ll all be in the same place before the now-decentralized NHL Draft.
