The Islanders will have a No. 1 overall pick on the ice next week at their development camp, and possibly on their roster in October.
The known unknown, as things stand right now, is whether that will be the only high pick for the Islanders, with general manager Mathieu Darche acknowledging Tuesday morning that trading for a second pick in the top 10 is a possibility.
“I’m looking at everything,” Darche said on a Zoom call. “If I have an opportunity that I feel [is good] — it depends. You want to move into the top 10, what does it cost you? If I feel the opportunity warrants a trade, I’ll try it. Or if it’s an opportunity to do something else to move the team, moving up in the draft with another pick, whether it’s acquiring another pick, whether it’s trading another pick to get a player, I’m looking at all options to improve our team.”
The dream scenario for Islanders fans would be to come away from Friday night with both defenseman Matthew Schaefer and forward James Hagens.
Schaefer, the consensus No. 1 according to experts, is the sort of end-to-end skater the Islanders have needed forever on their blue line and has come away from unthinkable adversity with maturity beyond his 17 years.
Hagens, who was atop most boards a year ago, is an excellent playmaker and as a Long Island native and fan of the team, would be something the Islanders haven’t had in their 50-plus year history.
One of Darche’s first statements as general manager, repeated again Tuesday, was that he has no interest in moving the No. 1 pick.
There are, however, teams in the top 10 that are believed to be open to trading their picks, opening the door for the Islanders to take a swing that, at least for the time being, would make Darche’s approval rating soar with the fan base.
While it’s not a completely foregone conclusion that Schaefer will be the No. 1 pick, it would be surprising at this point if the Islanders went with center Michael Misa — widely ranked as the draft’s top forward — instead.
“We have an idea [who it will be] at this point,” Darche said. “We’re going to keep debating it until the end, keep calling around and get as much info. We all know the talent at this point. You’re researching more on the character and personalities. You’re just trying to get as much information. There’s a few guys we like.”
Though there’s been some question over whether Schaefer will start next season in the NHL — with a September birthday, he’s one of the youngest players in the draft and missed significant time last year with a broken clavicle — Darche also called it a “strong possibility” that whoever is taken will start next season with the Islanders.
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Owen Power and Erik Johnson are the only two No. 1 picks this century not to start the season in the NHL.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be the performance,” Darche said. “We’re going to see those new players at development camp right after the draft next week and then the performance at training camp. You have to be open-minded, it doesn’t matter who it is, those kids are 18 years old. So if the player comes here and shows me that hey, he belongs in the NHL, he’ll be in the NHL.
“If we feel that he needs more time, well we’ll give him more time. For us, the player we want, we want him to be here for a long time. We want him to have an NHL career. There’s no rush getting him into the NHL.
“Having said that, if he shows us he’s ready to be in the NHL — some players have in the last few years — we’ll keep him here and have him play with our group. Performance will always dictate where the players are.”