Mathieu Darche does not expect the NY Islanders to trade the first overall pick

The fortunes of the NY Islanders changed on May 5, when the organization won the NHL Draft Lottery and the rights to the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

A draft class without a can't miss prospect, there have been questions about what the Islanders would do with the pick. Do they take the consensus top prospect in defenseman Matthew Schaefer, or look to trade down and take the hometown boy in James Hagens?

Darche expects to make the pick

Although the draft is still four weeks away, Islanders GM Mathieu Darche provided a bit of clarity in terms of what the organization will do when they are officially on the clock on June 27.

"Anybody who calls, you have to listen, but you'd have to really knock my socks off to trade that pick," Darche said yesterday at his introductory press conference. "We're going to get a special player. But I'm going to do my due diligence, but I expect us to make that pick at the end of June."

Hearing something like this, along with much of his press conference, is refreshing for fans after seven years of the tight-lipped Lou Lamoriello, who'd rarely give any insight.

Teams will likely be ringing Darche repeatedly until the Islanders take the podium to make the pick, attempting to pry it away from Long Island. The Islanders could likely receive a haul in return, but it would be a gutsy move to trade the first overall pick in your first season as a GM.

It's expected the Islanders will select Schaefer. Still, defensemen taken first overall haven't panned out as well as forwards, as the only first overall pick to win a Norris Trophy was Denis Potvin in 1976.