This Wednesday marks the beginning of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. It’s the offseason’s first big event with teams trying to bolster their prospect pool. The draft also presents an opportunity for teams to start making some improvements via trade. Let’s take a look at what to expect from the New York Islanders during this year’s draft period.
Islanders Draft Stock
Due to the Bo Horvat trade the Islanders are without their first round pick this year. They’re also without their third round pick as part of the compensation to the Arizona Coyotes for acquiring Andrew Ladd’s contract. This leaves the Islanders with the following draft picks in this year’s draft.
- 2nd Round: 49th overall
- 4th Round: 113th overall
- 5th Round: 145th overall
- 6th Round: 177th overall
- 7th Round: 209th overall
Trying To Find Value
Assuming none of these picks get moved, the Islanders are in severe need to find some value in this draft. They have one of the lowest ranked prospect systems in the league. They’re especially lacking at the forward position after shipping off Aatu Raty.
But even without a first or third round pick there’s still plenty of value to be had if their scouting is keen enough. Players like Nikita Kucherov, Jason Robertson and Ryan O’Reilly were all selected in the second round in their draft year. Additionally the Islanders have had some previous success stories in the late rounds. Both Devon Toews and Casey Cizikas are examples of high quality players they found in the fourth round. Then there’s William Dufour, the team’s best forward prospect that was a fifth round draft pick.
This goes to say that with some savvy selections they could quickly start to replenish their prospect system.
Potential Bailey Trade
Lou Lamoriello heavily implied that Josh Bailey’s tenure with the Islanders may be coming to an end in his recent press availability. The draft period presents a very opportune time to try to move Bailey and clear up some precious cap space. What becomes difficult for the Islanders is finding a suitor willing to take on Bailey’s contract.
Due $5 million this year, there won’t be many teams willing to take the entirety of that contract next season. And the ones that are willing aren’t likely to do so without a cost. The Islanders may have another Andrew Ladd situation where they’ll have to include draft capital to get a team to take that contract off their hands.
Other Trade Opportunities?
While the Bailey move is the most heavily speculated trade, the Islanders could be involved in some other trade moves. The team still needs a lot more cap space than just trading away Bailey would provide. With that, there’s the idea of trading away one of their five centers as a way to open up some more space. They received some reported interest in J.G. Pageau at last season’s trade deadline so that’s a potential avenue. There’s also the more risky and unlikely maneuver of trading Brock Nelson. They’d lose their top scorer but also net a significant return and clear one of their bigger contracts.
On the other end the Islanders could look to add during this year’s draft period. In that regard one of the most interesting trade partners they may have is the Calgary Flames. The Flames are experiencing a mass exodus of some of their top players ahead of this offseason. One of the most interesting players from the Flames that makes sense for the Islanders is Tyler Toffoli. The 31-year-old winger is coming off a career high 34-goal season.
The Islanders would have to delve deeper into an already depleted system of draft picks and young players to possibly get this kind of deal done. But with Lamoriello still insisting on this core’s ability to win a championship it wouldn’t be shocking to see him go for a deal like this.
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Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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