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Ranking the NY Islanders Ten Top-10 Draft Picks of the 1990's

ByMichael Stahurski|
New York Rangers v New York Islanders
New York Rangers v New York Islanders | B Bennett/GettyImages
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10. Scott Scissons (6th Overall, 1990)

Scott Scissons was one of the WHL's top point producers in his draft year, finishing with 87 points for the Saskatoon Blades. After going sixth overall to the Islanders, Scissons played one more season with Saskatoon before joining the Islanders for one game at the end of the season. He played with the Islanders' AHL affiliate, the Capital District Islanders the following season, earning a call-up for one of the Isles' 1991 playoff games. In 1993-94, Scissons appeared in one game with the Isles, making it the last time he'd lace his skates up in the NHL.

While Scissons was a bust for the Islanders, the five players selected ahead of him all went on to have terrific careers: Owen Nolan, Petr Nedved, Keith Primeau, Mike Ricci, and Jaromir Jagr.

9. Brett Lindros (9th Overall, 1994)

Once deemed the "better Lindros" by then Islanders GM Don Maloney, Brett Lindros managed to play in only 51 games during his NHL career scoring seven points - just 858 fewer than his older brother Eric. Maloney traded defenseman Uwe Krupp for the ninth pick in order to select Lindros.

Lindros was forced to retire after two years, following the 1995-96 season behind a series of concussions. The Islanders were required to pay Lindros $5.6M, as Lindros claims the team forced his medical retirement.

8. Scott Lachance (4th Overall, 1991)

Scott Lachance played the majority of his career on Long Island as a stay-at-home defender for much of the 90s. He appeared in 819 games, 450 of those with the Islanders. Lachance was never much of a threat to score, finishing with just 31 goals in 14 seasons.

Lachance's time with the Islanders was complete in 1999 when he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline for a third-round pick. After two seasons in Montreal, he played four more NHL seasons with the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets.

7. Taylor Pyatt ( 8th Overall, 1999)

The second of two top-10 picks for the Islanders in 1999, Taylor Pyatt's time on Long Island was short-lived. Coming off an 89-point season in the OHL, Pyatt joined the Islanders for the 2000-01season, putting up respectable numbers for a first-year player scoring four goals and adding 14 assists.

That summer, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres along with Tim Connolly for the rights to Michael Peca. Pyatt played 13 more seasons in the NHL with the Sabres, Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes, NY Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished his career with an even 140 goals and 140 assists.