The one team with the perfect trade package for New York Islanders’ top pick

The New York Islanders newly named GM Mathieu Darche will be more than assuredly fielding phone calls for his team’s top-overall draft pick. It would be a mistake not to at least listen to what other teams have to offer.

You see, every season, certain teams enter the 2025 NHL Draft with more than their fair share of pressure. Some teams get flak from their fan bases for their perceived lack of success, prompting these teams to go all-in to improve their standing.

One such team is the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins are on the clock. They have one more year of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, while Crosby is likely leaving the fold in 2027. That’s two seasons in which the Penguins can claim to have the incentive to go for it.

Also, 2027 means the Pens will get out from under Erik Karlsson’s massive cap hit. But it also means that the team will have little to no star power. The club won’t have anyone to usher in a new era of competitiveness in Steel City.

That is why Penguins’ GM Kyle Dubas, and his flair for the dramatic, could entice the New York Islanders to deal their top-overall pick. Dubas could be motivated to make a deal, seeing as his team won’t have much young star power to build around.

Moreover, the Pens’ fan base will not be too happy about a Buffalo Sabres-type rebuild. That situation means that Dubas will be under the gun to make the retool/rebuild as quickly as possible.