Islanders won't be trading No. 1 pick in 2025 NHL Draft, GM says

The New York Islanders will not be trading the No. 1 pick at the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft, general manager Mathieu Darche said Tuesday.

“I'm not trading the one, but you look at everything, right?” Darche said during his pre-draft media availability. “Teams are calling you about various options. Every time you hear something might be going on, you call a team, and my job is to do my due diligence and see what's out there. Every single day, I'm trying to improve the New York Islanders.”

Darche, who was hired May 23 to replace Lou Lamoriello as Islanders GM, said earlier this month at the NHL Scouting Combine he would be “shocked” if they didn’t make the top selection. New York won the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5.

The first round of the draft will be held at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).

Matthew Schaefer of Erie in the Ontario Hockey League is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. The 17-year-old defenseman was limited to 17 games this season because of a fractured clavicle sustained while playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship on Dec. 27.

Only two players selected with the No. 1 pick since 2005 did not start in the NHL the following season: Erik Johnson, selected by the St. Louis Blues at the 2006 NHL Draft, made his debut in 2007-08; Owen Power, chosen by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft, joined them at the end of the 2021-22 season after his college season at the University of Michigan ended.

Darche would not divulge who the Islanders will select No. 1.

“I can't tell you all my secrets, but calling around and getting as much info is part of the job,” Darche said. “We all know the talent at this point. You’re researching more the character and personalities. You are just trying to get as much information. There's a few guys we like, and I do have an idea at this point, because it's in four days. But we're going to keep doing our due diligence all the way through Friday.

“(Schaefer) is an impressive young man. We've met a lot of impressive people, but Matthew, obviously, everybody knows about his story with his mom, his billet mom, and the resilience he's shown. He's an impressive young man. That's all I can say. You guys have seen him, too, through these interviews, and he's a [heck] of a player. He's a great person.

“But having said that, there's a lot of other kids at the draft that we met who are very impressive. That's why I say, regardless of who we pick on Friday, we'll get a special player that's going to help the New York Islanders fairly quickly."

A portion of the Islanders’ fan base is hoping Boston College center James Hagens lands with his hometown team. Hagens was born and raised on Long Island in Hauppauge, New York, and grew up an Islanders fan. The 18-year-old had 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games as a freshman this season.

Darche didn’t rule out making a trade for another first-round pick.

“I’m looking at everything,” Darche said. “If I have an opportunity that I feel … it depends. You want to move into the top 10, what does it cost you? If I feel the opportunity warrants that trade, I’ll try it. Or if it’s an opportunity to do something else to move the team, moving up in the draft with another pick, whether it’s acquiring another pick, whether it’s trading another pick to get a player, I’m looking at all options to improve our team.”

NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman contributed to this report