The Islanders don’t currently have a GM, but whoever they end up hiring just picked up a pretty significant asset.
New York officially won the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday night — meaning that they now own the first overall pick in the 2025 Draft.
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The Isles entered the night with just a 3.5 percent chance of landing in the top spot, but they somehow had the luck of the draw on the first roll of the night and are now in a good spot to take the young talent of their choice.
One of the top prospects in this class is 18-year-old Long Island-native James Hagens, who produced 11 goals and 26 assists this season with Boston College.
How bout the Blueshirts?
The Rangers, on the other hand, weren’t so lucky.
With the Utah Hockey Club jumping up to the fourth overall pick, they actually moved down a selection and will now be at No. 12 this year.
They now have until two days before the draft to decide if they want to keep that pick and use it themselves or send it to Pittsburgh by way of the Vancouver Canucks to help complete the J.T. Miller trade.
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If they do keep it, they’ll send the Penguins a 2026 unprotected first-round pick.
Here’s a look at the rest of the order: