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New York Islanders should trade up in 2018 NHL Draft

By Dave Stevenson |
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 07: Thomas Greiss #1 of the New York Islanders is congratulated by teammates John Tavares #91 and Anthony Beauvillier #72 following an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on April 7, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Islanders defeated the Wings 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 07: Thomas Greiss #1 of the New York Islanders is congratulated by teammates John Tavares #91 and Anthony Beauvillier #72 following an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on April 7, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Islanders defeated the Wings 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

It’s rare to see teams trade up in the NHL Draft, but the New York Islanders should go against the grain and do it 

Trading up in a draft is, statistically, rarely a good idea. Unless you really love a player, there’s virtually no reason to do so. However, one good reason to do it is if you’re in a draft where the talent drops off after a specific pick. The 2018 NHL Draft, despite being a deep one, will drop off at around the 10th pick. That’s not good for the New York Islanders, who have the 11th and 12th overall picks.

One of the Isles’ biggest concerns going into the offseason is their blueline depth. Short of drafting Rasmus Dahlin, there’s no way the Islanders are drafting someone who will have an immediate impact on their NHL roster. However, the Isles still need to add some blueline talent to their prospect core.

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The 2018 NHL Draft is a special one, as it features a number of talented defensemen. In our most recent mock draft, six blueliners go in the top 10. Dahlin, Quinn Hughes, Noah Dobson, Ty Smith, Evan Bouchard, and Adam Boqvist each have elements that could make them valuable to any team. The Islanders are likely going to miss out on at least five of them and potentially all six.

Trading Up Makes Sense

A lack of defense was the downfall for the Isles in 2017-18. Sure, adding Sebastian Aho and getting Ryan Pulock more playing time should help fix some of those issues. However, it doesn’t change the fact that the Islanders have, at best, one top pairing caliber defenseman – Nick Leddy.

If the Isles trade up just two or three spots, that should ensure they get at least one of the six defensemen previously listed. And the Islanders have the ammunition to do so. Not only do they have two first-round picks, they also have two picks in the second round (41st and 43rd overall).

Looking at draft pick value, the 11th pick combined with the 41st overall pick has a value of 27.5. By comparison, the ninth overall pick has a value of 26.2 while the eighth pick has a value of 32.0. It’s plausible for the Islanders to offer their 11th pick plus the first of their two second rounders for the ninth pick. Trading both of their first-round picks would give them a combined value of 45.8, which would be enough to get the fifth-overall pick (44.9) plus a mid-third round pick (0.7).

Even if the Isles would prefer to have two picks in each of the first two rounds, trading Brock Nelson could net them at least a second-round pick or a third-round pick. Josh Ho-Sang could be a trade option as well. The Islanders have options and they should explore all of them.

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Should the Isles trade up, whoever they draft would likely immediately become their best defenseman prospect and perhaps their best overall prospect.

For updated 2018 NHL Draft coverage, be sure to check out our NHL Draft hub page!

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