New York Islanders secure top NHL Draft pick. Will they select Matthew Schaefer or explore trade options?
Gil Martin analyzes the Islanders’ draft strategy, potential trades, and organizational needs. He breaks down Jordan Kyrou as a possible trade target, discussing the St. Louis Blues forward’s stats and fit with the team. Martin also examines the Isles’ pressing need for goal scorers and cap space management.
Tune in for expert insights on how the Islanders can leverage their rare first overall pick to reshape their roster and boost their offensive firepower. Can they land a game-changing talent to complement Mathew Barzal?
All this and more on today’s Locked On Islanders Podcast with Gil Martin.
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27 Comments
The Islanders should pick Shaefer first, and they probably will. But they have to be honest about Hagens. Do they think he can help the team is it worth trading for the third fourth or fifth pick to get. I'm not convinced he will help. It's a great story, but if they don't think he's going to be good, I d don't they should bother. They shouldn't add a player just because he grew up on Long Island and was an Islanders fan.
JJ Peterka gets moved to Utah for the hockey equivalent of a handful of magic beans. Honestly one of the worst fleece jobs I have seen in ages….where's our new GM? Nowhere to be found….I'm going to go throw up now…Goodnight!
I was all hyped about the Dobson Kyrou rumors circulating around the trade deadline this past season. If there is still a possibility, Darche should absolutely try to send Cale Makar, sorry meant to say Dobson to the Blues. I hope I'm wrong but I think the Isles will have a bad case of buyer's remorse if Dobson is inked to a long term 8M+ deal. Let's hope Darche can make Dobson someone else's long term problem
What the hell is Darche doing?! Did you see what Utah gave Buffalo For Peterka!? Doan and some other kid….A bottom 6er!!! We could've made that deal, probably made Buffalo a better offer!!! I'm having a bad case of Deja vu!!
Gil, We've DESPERATELY needed that one 1st line legitimate goal scorer ever since we drafted Tavares!!!! Every summer since then, smarter fans such as ourselves have been SCREAMING for that player! We're always in the mix for a top end player every summer, just to watch them go elsewhere!!! BTW, Peterka is the 1st miss this off-season.
Kyrou would be a great pick up , would no trade clause be part of his contract or could Isles re negotiate? Thanks Gil . Hype over time for Darche to earn is money ! LGI
The only way to get Jordon is to deal them Dobson. Which means they have nothing much to get a pick to land Hagens! Fine with Jordan ! You can’t Trade Romanov! Justin Brazeau pleaseeeeeeeeeeeed we need his size n grit! Draft Schaefer! Trade Dobson for a pick plus to land Hagens or one for one get Jordan! Still want a pick to draft Kashawn!!!!!!!!! If the Islanders can walk away with Schaefer, Jordan, and Howard it is still a home run! If we could land Andersson from the Flames 🔥 to mentor Schaefer that would be sweet but I guess that Pulock might end up being that guy. In a perfect world we get Schaefer, Hagens, Kashawn, Howard , Jordan K! Obviously just dreaming! Very exciting times! Darche will do the best he can and I have total confidence in his ability to make the best decisions to Make The Islanders Great Again!!!! We must deal off Dobson, Pelech, Duclair, Engvall, Zeeker, …. Dealing Lee and JGP at the trade deadline! Go Islanders!
I have a problem with getting Matthew, I think his body may be too delicate for the NHL…I can see come this December finding out Matthew is injured and Misa has 14 goals for San Jose…..as an islander fan this would be a situation i will not be happy about….Misa needs to be the pick Mr. GM
TWO MORE DAYS until this shit is over. The best non kept secret of top pick plans. Watch the welcome to the nhl segments where isles practically slobber all over themselves with schaefer. So with this narrow one way thinking just get it over with. Maybe isles can do like preds did a few years back put the best fkn d with a solid goalie out there and try to win that way. 8 is the wrong guy to go. keep 8 and build up that d. Not trade 8 for some overpaid bum or useless packages that are being offered. 13 is the one that needs to be moved as 13 will just continue to go to waste on isles with no top offensive talent to help 13 out. Maybe go back to those hab trade rumours last april and see if habs want 13 for the 16, 17 picks take some more d men and isles can put their d of s. jones, josi, ekholm, subban/weber together and win that way. fk scoring g's.
And keep in mind if isles trade 8 schaefer wont be ready for two years so a d upgrade will be needed. Maybe since schaefer is the next ek65 go get ek65 from pens with 2 years left on deal to bridge the gap until schaefer arrives. Isles fans can watch ek65 and salivate about next ek65 schaefer.
Huge miss by Isles not get Peterka, makes me think we won’t do anything sadly
Looking forward to tomorrow night can't wait to see what Darche's first move will be. LGI
Good 🌄, Gil. How are you? The draft is tomorrow in Los Angeles. Matheiu Darche announced that he won't trade the 1st Round Pick. NHL GM's bluff all the ⏲️ in order to get a good deal. It's ⏲️ to move on from the older players, AND THE ISLANDERS KNOW IT. If the Islanders want a goal scorer, it's gonna cost them. I said it before, and I'll say it again, Mathieu Darche had his work cut out for him. Jason Robertson from Dallas, JJ Paterka from Buffalo, and Jordan Kyrou from St. Louis. He scored more PP goals than the Islanders did put together. He's a big guy. The Islanders need youth, speed, physicality, and agility. They need a backup goalie they can trust. As we all know, this wasn't Patrick Roy's fault. They haven't had a 30-goal scorer all year. For once, it would be nice if the Islanders made the playoffs by more than just the skin of their t🦷. HAPPY 🎂, ERIC CAIRNS. He was an enforcer. He scored a goal in a tie in Atlanta. Hear from you later, Gil. Time to ⌚️ Game 1 of the 1981 Preliminary Round between the Islanders and the Maple 🍁. Now, LET'S GO ISLANDERS.
Gil, I’m sorry but you’re way off base when you talk about trading back into the 1st round. Shedding cap has nothing to do with it. In fact, typically if you want to shed cap, you have to INCLUDE draft capital in that trade to get rid of that high cap space player.
Don’t forget a good offense will help you win games but a great defense will help you win Championships.
Isles should try to build the best goaltending and defense first.
Then make trades or acquisitions to try and get great an excellent elite top NHL goal scorer.
Also a team with good balanced goal scorers is great too—1993 Isles had Pierre Turgeon, Steve Thomas, Benoit Hogue, Dave Volek, Ray Ferraro( so different players were able to pull together to contribute to the offense and goal production
Good morning team! Gil, excited that all we've been talking about is just a day away. The talk my be Schaefer, but I'm still leaning toward Misa. Truthfully, I'll be happy with either, but I wanted to put it out there, I have a preference. I'll be on the edge of my seat, if I'm able to sit at all. Too much excitement building. We've been waiting a very long time for this one. I know Darche isn't going to trade the first pick. I wouldn't either. But did he entertain any serious conversations other than the Sharks. Doesn't really matter. The first pick belongs to Long Island. Everyone, have a great day! See you all again tomorrow. Until then.. Let's Go Islanders!!
For me Kyrou is a proven difference maker. A player with speed who can drive the play and offense. Right now we don't have anyone on offense that can drive the play. Getting kyrou makes us less predictable on offense and he becomes the first true sniper since Vanek. Isaac Howard nhl ready who scouts like more than cutter Gauthier. This past season Gauthier had 20 goals and 45 points his first year. He makes us younger and faster and more skilled on a cheap contract.
Picking the defenseman ok great but you can’t count out Dobson, the kid who is a islanders fan that’s great but I think we can work getting him in the future, The Center A healthy Barzal and the Kid Misa, having Misa plus all the other young kids we have coming up time is Rolling Youth, thank Gil , LGI 👍🏼we can only trust in the GM🙏
Kyrou is good but rather Peterka. Younger. Cheaper.
Hagens reminds me of Barzal. Perimeter guy, skilled but soft. We need to acquire players who can control the walls south of the redline , quickly transition ,willing to go to dirty areas ,buys into the high pressure forecheck This is the Panthers recipe. Seems to be working
I'm sorry, but I really don't understand why the Colorado pick is off the table if it means getting Hagens. Hagens will worst case scenario be a reliable, intelligent middle six center and best case scenario a top line playmaker. And if Hagens does get picked and we have a 6th or 7th overall pick, there's a decent chance someone like Frondell or Martone falls to us. I really doubt Colorado's pick goes any higher than 22nd, and there's a good chance it's the 32nd pick. Sell high on it, especially if it means getting a top ten pick in this year's draft.
Islanders need to rebuild get rid of old guys over age 30 get rid of them load up on drafts picks and picks for trading those stars players in the roster also get rid of one of our top hoslued build around Schaeffer and Dobson
Get rid of barzal ridiculous 8 million per year he sucks only 15 goals acerage
Get rid of Horvat for that pick
Islanders need to get rid of barzal Horvat kee and oafeau
You should apply for the isles GM job
Draft Schafer 1
Trade dobson to Utah for 4th and pick hagens
Trade pageau to boston for 7th pick. Flip pick and mayfield to St Louis for Kyrou
8 mil freed up cap space add FA to bridge schafer and hagens
What bold strategy. We won a lottery so far and are signing all Lou’s players