Mathieu Darche says the NY Islanders will not be trading the 1st overall pick

When the NY Islanders were awarded the first overall pick at the NHL Draft Lottery last month, the biggest question surrounding the organization was whether they would keep the pick or try to trade it for immediate assets.

With just a 3.5% chance to win the lottery, the odds were against the Islanders, but the balls bounced the right way (for once).

Today, GM Mathieu Darche shut down any rumors of him moving the first pick.

Darche won't trade the first overall pick

“I'm not trading the one, but you look at everything, right?” Darche said this morning. “Teams are calling you about various options. Every time you hear something might be going on, you call a team, and my job is to do my due diligence and see what's out there. Every single day, I'm trying to improve the New York Islanders.”

Now that we know the Isles will be making the first overall pick on Friday night, the question is who they will select?

“I can't tell you all my secrets, but calling around and getting as much info is part of the job,” Darche said. “We all know the talent at this point. You’re researching more the character and personalities. You are just trying to get as much information. There's a few guys we like, and I do have an idea at this point, because it's in four days. But we're going to keep doing our due diligence all the way through Friday.”

Matthew Schaefer, the consensus top prospect among this year's crop, appears to be the likely decision Darche and his team will make. The 17-year-old defenseman is touted to be a number one defenseman at some point in his career, possessing superstar abilities.

We’ll find out the Islanders decision shortly after the draft kicks off on Friday night at 7 pm.