Islanders GM Mathieu Darche: ‘Someone would have to really knock my socks off’ to trade No. 1 pick

New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche set the record straight on his intentions with his team’s first overall pick in June’s 2025 NHL draft.

“You have to do your due diligence,” Darche told reporters Thursday. “Anybody that calls you have to listen, but someone would really have to knock my socks off to trade that pick because we’re going to get a special player.”

The Islanders were the beneficiaries of an unlikely win at the draft lottery on May 5.

For the first time, the NHL televised the actual drawing of the ping pong balls. The 7-11-12-13 sequence made good on New York’s 3.5% chance of taking the first overall pick.  

“I’m very fortunate to come in with the first overall pick,” Darche said. “Not very often you get a job and the first thing you have to do is pick the best player in the draft… I’m going to do my due diligence, but I expect us to be picking at the end of June.”

Darche and the Islanders have an interesting choice ahead of them, assuming they do hang on to the selection.

According to Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis’ latest draft rankings, the top prospect available is Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer.

“He’s so smart, so skilled, and the results at just about every single level have been so promising,” Ellis writes. “Schaefer is hard to beat in 1-on-1 situations, and despite playing close to 30 minutes a night with Erie, he still found ways to have some outstanding underlying analytics.”

If New York chooses to pick a forward, No. 2 prospect Michael Misa and No. 3 James Hagens would likely be the considerations.

Hagens was the consensus top prospect heading into the season. The Boston College forward is a Long Island native, however, and has made a point to express just how much he wants to play for his hometown team.