Islanders Win Lottery: Possibilities & Thoughts on Who Fits Best

Three-and-a-half percent. In a vacuum, that’s not a very high chance of anything. Yet, sometimes, someone can ask: “Do you believe in miracles?”

And to that, Ken Morrow would reply, “Yes!” Then, today, a miracle came. The New York Islanders won the 2025 Draft lottery with a 3.5% chance of doing so and are now on the clock for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

It’s fitting that Morrow was the Islanders representative for the Draft Lottery. For the other 14 teams involved, most sent their GMs to sit on a Zoom. Morrow also represented the Islanders at the 2009 Lottery, where the Islanders retained the top pick.

The Islanders, without anyone in charge of the hockey operations department, became the single biggest power broker in the NHL. For the first time since 2009, the NHL Draft goes through Long Island, New York.

The possibilities are endless. Let’s very briefly and very calmly discuss them. After all, we have 53 days until the draft. Let the countdown begin!

Possibility #1: Stand Pat, Draft The Team’s Best Available Player:

This is the first, and somehow, the most boring possibility at the moment. The Islanders could simply stand pat, and select the best player on the board.

According to the current rankings, that player would be Matthew Schaefer. Defensively, if you go with Schaefer, a 6’1″ speedy two-way left-shot defender, it changes a lot. Perhaps instead of splurging on an Alexander Romanov extension, you send him out for an elite winger and let veteran Adam Pelech play out his contract and help show Schaefer the NHL ropes.

After Schaefer, it typically has been Michael Misa. From NHL Central Scouting analysis: “Misa is highly skilled, smart and doing everything you could ask or expect, and he does it all while playing the game the right way. He plays 200 feet and has details in every area of the ice and is very responsible in his own zone.”

What About the Local Star:

Then, comes the fan-favorite option. James Hagens. He’s a Long Island kid through-and-through, and since day one, he’s bled blue and orange.

From February in The Athletic: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6101689/2025/02/07/james-hagens-nhl-draft-prospect-islanders/

Too often in New York Islanders history have they had elite players end up treating the organization poorly. Younger fans remember John Tavares walking out the door. Older fans remember Pat LaFontaine’s quitting on the team. Hagens woud never do it.

Look, there’s going to be people who will rip apart the top prospect in a year where there is no definitive top prospect. Perhaps, the Islanders could look to the best fit. Nobody on the planet fits better than James Hagens.

Just ask Cole Eiserman. During this past season, he told The Athletic “I would just joke with him when we’d be sitting around, wondering where he’s going to end up,” Eiserman said. “I’d say, ‘Don’t worry, you’re going to be an Islander.’”

That dream of both Hagens and Eiserman can now come true.

Option #2: Wheel & Deal:

As Anakin Skywalker said at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith, “This is where the fun begins.”

Let’s say the Islanders decide Hagens is their man. Perhaps then, the Chicago Blackhawks call their line. The Blackhawks and Sharks have their share of elite talent. The Blackhawks have plenty of young defensemen, along with some forwards. Perhaps they want Misa.

The Blackhawks own a treasure trove of draft picks. The Islanders could acquire a haul for the first pick to move from 1 to 3. To move up from 3 to 1, the Blackhawks could use the 2026 Florida 1st, and any of their three 2026 2nds, one of which belongs to the Islanders. They could throw in one of their two 2025 2nd rounders, as well.

I don’t envision a world where the Islanders ever move outside the top three.

My Thoughts:

Enjoy this, Islanders fans. As I highlighted in the preview, this is not a team that’s ever gotten the ping pong ball luck it deserved.

The Islanders now have an open President and GM Job, along with the first overall pick. That search chugs along.

If it were up to me and I was in charge, I’d bring James Hagens back home to Long Island. There is no clear-cut top prospect in this draft. In these years, you have to go with the right fit.

As stated above, Hagens is that and thensome. The so-called “little-brother” of the New York Rangers, the one players hate to come to but never want to leave. How about the stud prospect, the best prospect ever out of the area, to come home?

There are sound arguments for Misa and Schaefer. No question about it. I would once again say, fit matters. One common thing across the playoffs is passion. Not to say Misa and Schaefer wouldn’t have oodles of passion, but don’t you think a kid who grew up going to games in Nassau Coliseum, the Barclay Center, AND UBS Arena would have just that extra kick to win the Stanley Cup?

I sure do. Enjoy this, savor this night Islanders fans.