The Islanders have not exactly been restocking their prospect cupboard, but it’s crazy what a lottery win and a trade of a top defenseman can do for your prospect rankings.
Not that these lists are authoritative — though they do reflect general conventional wisdom — but the latest Athletic prospect rankings by Corey Pronman have the Isles vaulting up to #9 out of 32 teams, after ranking 25th (which is now Rangers territory) last year. The lede says it all:
Their system isn’t overly deep, but for the first time in a long time, there are a plethora of talented players coming up…
Of course, that is heavily influenced by their top three spots being their top three picks from just a couple months ago, with 1st-overall pick Matthew Schaefer supported by 16th and 17th-overall picks Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson. Brock Nelson trade return Calum Ritchie rounds out the top four, so the main drivers for this vault up the list have been acquired since March.
If you had to choose, no doubt you’d prefer being the 9th-ranked team in the actual NHL over the 9th-best system, er prospect pool. But if you’re in the running to be mediocre on the ice either way, it’s nice to have some promise in the pipeline.
Also in the Athletic: Mathieu Darche and Simon Holmstrom happened to cross paths in Italy. “Very different,” Holmstrom said, laughing, regarding Darche and longtime NHL exec Lou Lamoriello, Darche’s predecessor. “I think Darchy comes on and maybe (has) a new mindset and wants to do things a little different, and I think that might be a good thing. I’m very excited to work under him.”