It has been a long time coming for New York Islanders fans to see their organizational hierarchy walk up to the podium and make a first-round selection. That changed on Friday night for the first time since 2019 when Simon Holmstrom was drafted.
Related: Grading the New York Islanders 2024 Draft Picks
The draft class lacked depth outside of some of the big names that were in the top 14. It was unclear what types of players would be left with, but all the Islanders could do was hope somebody high on their board would slide.
Adding a Potential Blue Chip Prospect
It happens every year, but once the talents of Zeev Buium and Konsta Helenius were taken, there might have been serious doubt that the organization would be able to add a potential difference-maker to the pipeline.
There was one name left that would have filled a huge need for the Islanders as a scoring winger they have been desperately seeking since new Stanley Cup champion Kyle Okposo left for free agency in 2016. That prospect was USA Hockey National Team Development Program product Cole Eiserman, who we had ranked eighth on our consensus board.
He checks every box for the organization regarding what they are looking for. The 17-year-old ranks first in NTDP history in goals (127) and second in points (193). Eiserman has outscored Clayton Keller, Phil Kessel, and Patrick Kane, all of which have turned out to be impact NHLers.
Islanders fans should be delirious that he fell to them at 20th overall and excited about his long-term outlook. However, the expectations should be tempered in the short term. Eiserman isn’t an NHL-ready prospect yet and is likely at least two years away from the big show. And it will be probably longer than that until he makes a major impact on the roster.
Right now, development and helping Eiserman become the best player possible is priority number one, whether that takes two years or five. We know next season the Massachusetts native will play for Boston University in the NCAA. The left winger will be in a unique position, where he will have Jay Pandolfo as his coach, who has a history as a player for general manager and president Lou Lamoriello when he was with the New Jersey Devils. Plus, one of the team’s 2024 second-round picks, Kamil Bednarik, will be joining Eiserman at Boston University.
Time to Finish the Job
But as one of the NBA greats, Kobe Bryant, once said “job’s not finished.” Acquiring a potential blue-chip prospect was only half of what the Islanders needed to do this offseason.
While there’s still plenty of time this offseason, it feels like a missed opportunity that Lamoriello failed to clear cap space, especially after acquiring an extra second-round pick in this year’s draft. Using capital this year is now no longer possible. In Lamoriello’s defense, maybe the market just wasn’t there. Detroit Red Wings executive vice president and GM Steve Yzerman admitted on the draft floor that it has been “difficult to move money,” according to sports anchor Brad Galli of WXYZ-TV.
But still, Yzerman found a way to clear $3.4 million in cap space by trading away Jake Walman, who has two years left on his deal, by attaching a second-round draft choice as the sweetener. That might be the cost of getting rid of an unwanted contract. The Islanders, undoubtedly, if they want to change the dynamic of their team, will need to do much better than the under $6 million in cap space that they have currently, according to PuckPedia.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is signed for two more years at $5 million per season, would be the most logical to trade with an asset or two going the other way. His salary is higher than Walman’s and may cost the Islanders a third-round pick in addition to a second-rounder. They can still use draft capital in future years to pull it off and should.
Clearing cap space would just be the next step in the process. The last and most important move for 2023-24 is finding a legitimate first-line scoring winger who can play with Mathew Barzal. According to The Hockey News, the Islanders have been interested in Nikolaj Ehlers, who posted 61 points in 82 games this season with the Winnipeg Jets. The speedy winger would fill a huge need and make the Islanders a better team next season.
While The Hockey News also reported that the front office has checked on disgruntled Jets prospect Rutger McGroarty, he wouldn’t have as big of an impact on the Islanders next season as Ehlers would. Going for the University of Michigan product does not make as much sense at this time. The assets would be better targeted at Ehlers. If it costs the Islanders a first-round pick in next season’s draft, so be it.
The front office needed to add potential big-time prospects – and they did that. Mission accomplished at the draft. Now it’s time to finish the job. The Islanders still have free agency, which begins on Monday, July 1, and the rest of the offseason – but the clock is ticking.
