New York Islanders Get Nothing Out of 2018 NHL Draft Lottery

We all saw it coming, the inevitability of the New York Islanders not moving in the draft. But we all held up hope that they just might be able to get some luck.

We should have known. With a 3.5 percent and 2.5 percent chance of selecting first, the New York Islanders were not well situated to take advantage of the lottery.

Like we said during the season, they were too good to tank but too bad to win. It’s the worst place to be in the NHL, right in the middle

Going into the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery, the New York Islanders held their own first round pick as well as the one from the Calgary Flames. Along with two second-round picks. I swear Garth does all his good work in Western Canada. Wonder how he pulls Boeser out of Vancouver next.

So Now What?

For now, the New York Islanders have to settle for the eleventh and 12th picks in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. Which isn’t terrible. Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier and Kieffer Bellows were all selected later than either of those picks.

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A real sarcastic thanks to Carolina for bumping us down a spot.

So drafting a good prospect in the years to come is perfectly attainable for the New York Islanders. Assuming they can scout properly. Because we’ll all remember the period just after Tavares was drafted.

If you don’t let me remind you. After Tavares was selected with the first overall pick in the 2009 draft the Islanders picked in the top four on another three occasions. They drafted Nino Niederreiter (5th-2010), Ryan Strome (5th-2011) and Griffin Reinhart (4th-2012).

None of these picks are on the team now, and only Strome was able to make a career in the NHL.

The hope is that doesn’t happen again, and that the New York Islanders can make something with these two top half picks in the first-round of the NHL Draft. Although with the results the Isles have seen with Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang I don’t have confidence they could.

Next: Isles History in NHL Draft Lottery Era

The picks do nothing to help the Islanders in the immediate. Which is where they need help. Maybe they can turn these top half picks into something they can use immediately via trade rather than drafting them. But for some reason, I doubt Garth does that.