New Islanders GM faces the biggest pick of his life and no room for error

There aren’t many jobs out there that come with more pressure than that of an NHL General Manager. Or a general manager of any team in the four North American pro sports leagues. So, for New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche, he’s facing the pressure of retooling this hockey team AND making sure he doesn’t miss on the first pick. 

For me, the pick’s clear-cut: Michael Misa, and no, I’m not changing my mind. That means I’ll be critical if and when he takes defenseman Matthew Schaefer, or the local product, James Hagens. But it doesn’t mean he got the pick wrong because I didn’t like it since my take’s nothing more than a subjective reaction. 

But, in reality, we won’t know if this pick’s an error until three or four seasons down the line since I’ll assume that at least Misa and Schaefer will be full-time NHLers the second they put on their respective team’s sweater. Hagens, I’ve been back and forth on, but he’ll definitely see NHL ice toward the end of the year if he goes back to school. 

There’s one certainty for Mathieu Darch heading into the 2025 NHL Draft

Either get the pick right or risk fans pointing fingers at you for the duration of your stay in Long Island. Unless, of course, you can redeem yourself and still build a championship-caliber lineup. And while all fans have their opinions of who Darche should take and why, at the end of the day, if they prove to be the best of the bunch, they’ll be happy. 

So, if he picked Matthew Schaefer next Friday and he was the best player in the trio of potential No. 1 picks, I’d be ecstatic. Darche made the right decision in that case, and it’s all that mattered. That said, I’d be pointing the finger at both of us if he took Michael Misa, and Misa wasn’t the best player of the trio. 

Yeah, we all miss, but let’s be real: Darche has inside information on this, and I don’t. So I don’t mind being tougher on Darche than I would be on myself. 

Pick the player most likely to help this franchise immediately

This is why I keep saying Michael Misa, even if my foresight’s saying he’s going with Matthew Schaefer. But Misa’s play went up yet another level this season, while Schaefer’s injury limited him, even if I’d’ve had Schaefer rated a cut above Misa before the star blueliner missed most of 2024-25. 

Meanwhile, Misa can come in and help fix what’s been such a stagnating team when they have the puck. The Isles have a decent defensive rotation right now, and one that can become elite without Schaefer’s presence if Noah Dobson bounces back and Alexander Romanov takes another step forward. 

Yeah, there are some good forwards both on Long Island and in the pipeline, but when you have a chance to land someone who would immediately elevate everyone’s game once he figures out the NHL’s demands, you take it. No questions asked. Now, we’ll see if I’m right, or if I’ll have some explaining to do in a few years.

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