Who saw this coming? Certainly not me. The Islanders were as surprised as fans at the outcome.
Finally, some hope for a franchise that needed one after landing the first pick in the 2025 draft. After an uninspiring season that ended with Lou Lamoriello being dismissed as the Islanders’ president of hockey operations, something good came out of this.
But here’s the catch: No Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini is in the draft. The fifth player in this year’s draft might be every bit as good as the first player. The Islanders might have landed a superstar had they acquired the worst-possible pick they were eligible to receive, at #10, which helped them move up after not getting that pick.
Getting it right is a challenge for the new president of hockey operations. Yet, the #1 overall pick should appeal to anyone who wants this job. This is a good sell for candidates such as Marc Bergevin, Mathieu Darche, Ron Francis, Jeff Gorton, Gregory Campbell, and others.
The Islanders can take this pick in many ways. They can draft the right player, execute a trade, and get players in return. Conventional wisdom says the new president of hockey operations wants to start his legacy by drafting that player. If nothing else, this pick offers the Islanders a much-needed reset. A chance to start over. The start of a new era. An opportunity to build something from the ground up. To put this past season behind them.
So yes, there was something meaningful about the Islanders’ winning the draft pick, even if it’s not guaranteed to change the outcome of this franchise.
Getting a new general manager makes this franchise interesting. Everyone will be curious to see what he does with trades and drafting. Can he get this team out of the salary cap hell that Lamoriello created? Will he get the right coach who develops players and aligns with his vision?
Getting the #1 pick will put all eyes on him, and there will be pressure to get it right. That’s how it goes when a team wins the lottery. Get it right, and this franchise will go places. Get it wrong, and this franchise will take a step back for years, as Islanders fans experienced under Mike Milbury’s mismanagement. It should be a good pressure, which means an opportunity here.
Your average fan has no idea what Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, Porter Martone, Caleb Desnoyers, and James Hagens will do. The hockey wonks are guessing if they truly know what they do. We expect the next president of hockey operations to know, though. He paid his dues, working up in the ranks to get this position and find a way to get this one right on his first try.
The beauty of winning the lottery is seeing how that player becomes a good player. We will see how he works and gets better month by month. There should be interest in what the #1 overall pick will do for the Islanders.
There’s no doubt fans will be watching what other draft picks do so that they don’t wonder if the new president of hockey operations messed up. There will be plenty of second-guessing, even if it’s irrational.
Nothing was appealing about the Islanders this season. It was the same team that had to get by in the last few years, and the chicken came home to roost this season by missing the playoffs. Now, a new guy is running the hockey operations, and the #1 draft pick gives reason to watch. It can’t be worse than the last few years. If so, we will undergo the same exercise and celebrate hope in the next few years.
Here’s hoping that’s not the case. The Islanders fans have endured a long time of bad luck, awful product, unfulfilled promises, mismanagement, and absentee ownership.
It’s time fate smiled on them. If nothing else, Monday night certainly put last year behind the Islanders. A start this franchise badly needed.
