10 years ago former NY Islanders GM Garth Snow pulled off a draft masterclass

Ten years ago, on June 26, 2015, the New York Islanders didn’t enter the 2015 NHL Draft with a first—or second-round pick—but thanks to some savvy wheeling and dealing by then-GM Garth Snow, they walked away with a franchise centerpiece and another future top-nine contributor.

Snow kickstarted the night by flipping 2012 fourth-overall pick defenseman Griffin Reinhart to the Oilers for picks No. 16 and 33 — a trade that would go down as one of the most lopsided in recent NHL history. The deal hinged on one thing: Mathew Barzal, the play-making center from the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds, being available. The Boston Bruins infamously passed on him three times in a row. The rest is history.

At No. 16, the Islanders snagged Barzal — an elite playmaker and future Calder Trophy winner who would become one of the faces of the franchise in the post-Tavares era. "If you told me when today started I'd be an Islander, I would have been real surprised," said Barzal. "I'm excited to go to a team that showed so much interest in me and gave up a real good asset to pick me."

"We wouldn't have made the deal if [Barzal] wasn't there," Snow said. In the 2017-18 season, Barzal went on to lead all rookies with 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games, becoming the first Islanders to win the Calder Trophy since Bryan Berard in 1997

But Snow wasn’t done. He packaged the 33rd and 72nd picks and shipped them to Tampa Bay to move up to No. 28. With that pick, the Isles drafted Anthony Beauvillier, another fan favorite and key playoff contributor, who scored the last, and one of the most memorable goals in the history of the Nassau Coliseum to force Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021.

From zero picks to two core players in under an hour — that’s a draft masterclass.