As the excitement for the fans of some of the worst teams in the NHL began to build ahead of the NHL draft lottery last night, the league saw the lottery take a big turn as Patrick Roy’s New York Islanders saw their just over 3% chance of securing the number one pick become a reality. With the Islanders capping off a major series of events after trading veteran Brock Nelson, parting ways with the GM, and now securing the number one pick in the 2025 NHL draft, the Islanders future is finally looking bright.
However despite the jubilation and joy of Islanders fans, the rest of the teams at the bottom of the barrel of the NHL may not be the happiest. But in some cases, some teams may not be as bothered as they seem. But here are some situations that may now arise after the draft lottery.
One team who will definitely have their head in their hands are Mike Grier and the San Jose Sharks as their chances of bagging a much needed franchise defenseman in Matthew Schaefer were diminished. With Celebrini and Will Smith likely to be the two main centres of the Sharks rebuild, their D core isn't great, and with the 2025 class not being a strong one for D-men, they have just missed out on the best one by far. With a defenseman on their minds, and a heap of offensive minded talent they simply don't need sitting at two, don't be surprised if the Sharks take a big haul for a trade back, and Grier won't be too secure over his number two pick. Although had the Shark decide to add another core offensive talent to their roster, it is sure to be Saginaw’s Michael Misa who has impressed in the OHL this year, but will have some strong competition already to start his NHL career.
Another team who will be punching the air and wondering how they have ended up in the same position again is the Flyers. Although they are on the hunt for a star centre in a class full of centreman talent, they cannot complain about sitting at number six. With star talent like Anton Frondell and Caleb Deyoners likely to still be on the board at number six, the Flyers could have themselves a sneaky steal at number six, and despite not jumping higher than they would have liked to secure a player like James Hagens, their sixth overall pick will still contribute massively to the rebuild.
And finally, a team who sit in a very interesting position indeed are the Chicago Blackhawks. With the number three overall pick, a statement pick in franchise history, the pick the selected Jonathan Toews with, they could make some big movies with number three in 2025. One avenue the Blackhawks can take is the offensive avenue, picking somebody like a James Hagens who has incredible potential, or a player like Porter Martone who also has the ability to be the perfect helper for Bedard. But the other avenue that could interest Blackhawks fans is the trade avenue. Hypothetically, had the Islanders pass on Michael Misa and select Matthew Schaefer, Chicago could easily jump on the opportunity to trade up one spot with San Jose to secure themselves Michael Misa, or had Misa be taken, and San Jose take their guy in Schaefer, the Blackhawks could very unlikely be opposed to trade back had they had a player in mind. But with Kyle Davidson and the Blackhawks set on number three, and will have a plan ahead of them, it has lined up nicely for the third year running for Chicago.
So with New York winning the lottery, they have some big decisions ahead. Will it be the generational defenseman for the future in Matthew Schaefer, or will it be the offensive star they so desperately need in Michael Misa. It will all be revealed soon, but there could also be some big surprises we could all never expect.
Comments