The New York Islanders jumped ten spots to select first in the 2024 NHL Draft by winning the first lottery. The Utah Hockey Club jumped from 14th to 4th by winning the second. That left the San Jose Sharks with the second overall pick and the Chicago Blackhawks at third.
There is a lot of speculation about who each team in the top four will take. It will shape how the rest of the draft goes from there, as there is no clear-cut order that any of these top prospects could go in.
Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman, is considered the number one prospect in the draft. Right behind him is forward Michael Misa. After that come names like James Hagens, Porter Martone, and Anton Frondell.
Hagens, however, is a native of Long Island. This may make the Islanders think twice about passing on him. They already had one number one overall pick leave on them to go home. Hagens would already be home.
If the Islanders wanted to select the hometown kid, the Blackhawks could help them while also helping themselves. With Connor Bedard, a smaller offensive-minded center, already in the mix, they would likely rather have Misa.
Swapping with the New York Islanders would cost Chicago, as they’d be moving up two spots and getting a player that everyone deems to be better. They have plenty of other draft picks in 2025 and 2026 to offer, and they also have a cupboard loaded with outstanding prospects.
It has been a long time since the number one overall pick in the NHL Draft has been traded. If there were a year that the streak would end, it would be this one. There isn’t a generational talent coming out, there isn’t even a sure-fire number one guy. There are plenty of great players, however, that will make teams take a pause.
This wouldn’t be the first time that these two organizations swapped first-round picks, either. In fact, it has happened within the last year. On May 24th, 2024, the Islanders took an extra 2024 second-round pick from the Blackhawks to swap their 2024 first and second picks.
Some new people are (and will be) in charge of the Islanders this time, but the organizations have worked well together many times before. If Kyle Davidson feels that Misa (or Schaefer) is his guy, he should be on the phone with the Islanders daily.
The risk is there, considering the Islanders could take Hagens first overall without trading down. He did come into the year as the projected number one guy. However, trading up guarantees the guy that the Blackhawks want, and it stops other teams from potentially trading into that spot. Anything can happen.
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