While the Islanders don’t own a first-round pick in the upcoming lottery draft, things could get interesting — and that’s why you should tune in.
Garth Snow always seems to have something up his sleeves on draft night, and this go-round should be no different. With a plethora of trade rumors and the club’s need to improve both in the present and the future, the Isles could pull off something big on Friday night.
Here’s what you need to know:
Date: Friday, June 23, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Channel: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBCSports.com
First Pick: New Jersey Devils
Top Prospect: Nico Hoshier or Nolan Patrick
Picks… The Islanders own picks 46 (second round), 77 (third round), 139 (fifth round) and 201 (seventh round). Their first rounder belongs to Vegas, their fourth rounder belongs to Philadelphia, and their seventh rounder belongs to Chicago.
Buzz… James Van Riemsdyk? Nazim Kadri? Matt Duchene? Alex Galchenyuk? First round pick? Arthur Staple has some, er… answers?
GS and Lou Lamoriello having a draft floor chat. Heard the Leafs are making a big push on Hamonic.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 23, 2017
Hard to say definitively without a deal, but very possible #Isles trade Hamonic just for picks. Need to sign CdH w/ only $5.5m in cap space.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 23, 2017
With multiple offers for Hamonic, sense is #Isles would rather send him out west if they find a fit. https://t.co/PRbOIbm0do
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 23, 2017
Last time out… The Islanders took Kieffer Bellows (F, Boston University) in the first round of the 2016 entry-level draft. Following a gap between the first and fourth round, the Isles selected two foreign-born skaters: Anatoly Golyshev and Otto Koivula.
Strengths, weaknesses… The Islanders don’t have any glaring needs down on the farm, which makes any pick a safe pick. The forwards (i.e. Matthew Barzal, Joshua Ho-Sang and Anthony Beauvillier), defensemen (i.e. Devon Toews and Ryan Pulock) and goalies (i.e. Linus Söderstrom and Ilya Sorokin) are all in the upper echelon of the league.
- Mathew Barzal, F
- Ilya Sorokin, G
- Ryan Pulock, D
- Joshua Ho-Sang, F
- Anthony Beauvillier, F
- Linus Söderstrom, G
- Adam Pelech, D
- Kieffer Bellows, F
- Devon Toews, D
- Parker Wotherspoon, D
