Mathieu Darche and the NY Islanders were involved in trade talks before and during the 2026 NHL Draft

It was another hectic day across the NHL as there were 11 trades made today involving 2026 draft picks. While the NY Islanders weren't involved in any of those deals, it doesn't mean Mathieu Darche wasn't working the phones.

Following the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, Darche revealed that he did, in fact, try to move up in the first round with multiple teams.

"I did try to move up a few times," Darche said. "It depends who was available, and that didn't go through. There's a few teams that said if my guy isn't there, we might be looking to move back."

The Islanders did ultimately make the 13th overall pick, selecting Malte Gustafsson, whom they had ranked among their top 10 prospects.

Aside from the numerous trades involving draft picks, there have been several big names traded over the past week, including Brady Tkachuk, Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch, and Simon Nemec, who all have new homes. Like Darche's attempts to move up in tonight's first round, he was involved in talks with some of the players who have been moved in recent days.

"Basically, I've had my phone attached to my ear," Darche said. "You're kicking tires, teams are calling, you're listening; that's my job to listen on anybody that calls. I've called a bunch of teams. Was I involved in some of these trades? Yeah. I've had a lot of discussions with these teams. Some of its circumstances, some of its the other players' no-trade clauses. It could be various factors that we just didn't get anything through this time."

While nothing has gotten done yet, it doesn't mean nothing will get done. We'll see if anything comes tomorrow or within the next few days, as free agency is set to begin on Wednesday.

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