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New York Islanders Roundtable: 2018 NHL Entry Draft Possibilities

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 22: Griffin Reinhart (C), fourth overall pick by the New York Islanders, poses on stage with Islanders representatives during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 22: Griffin Reinhart (C), fourth overall pick by the New York Islanders, poses on stage with Islanders representatives during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 27: Noah Hanifin #5 of the Carolina Hurricanes competes in the Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater during the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena on January 27, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 27: Noah Hanifin #5 of the Carolina Hurricanes competes in the Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater during the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena on January 27, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /

Michel Anderson

The New York Islanders don’t need both first-round picks. They aren’t in a rebuild, at worst they’re in a retool. And draft picks aren’t part of a retool.

The Isles aren’t retooling for the future, they’re retooling for the present. They need strong roster players today, right now. And picks eleven and 12 won’t be that. They won’t be NHL ready for years. Far too late to try an convince John Tavares and his superstar talents to stay with the Islanders.

So out goes a pick. Either one of them. Both have about the same value with the eleventh having slightly higher value for the sheer fact that it’s a pick above 12. But one has to be sent out in a package for a starting goalie or a top-four defender.

Drafting two, albeit high-quality prospects is not an option for the Islanders. Even if by some miracle the players they draft are ready for the NHL today, they won’t be impact players. They’ll be at the lower end of the depth chart going into 2018-19. That’s the best case scenario.

I expect that Lou Lamoriello is working on a similar plan for Friday. Don Waddell out in Carolina probably already got a call from Lou about Justin Faulk and maybe even Noah Hanifin. Paul Fenton in Minnesota likely got a call congratulating him on his new job, followed up with a quick inquiry on Matt Dumba.

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Next: Pros and Cons of Trading Up At 2018 Draft

By the time the Draft rolls around on Friday and when all the GMs are sitting in a room together, the tire kicking turns into something concrete as deals are struck. Lou already has the wheels in motion, with the multiple assets that he has, come draft day Lou’s going to be able to execute his plan.

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