New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche has been busy this week adding to his team and he might not be done.

The NHL trade deadline is more than a month away on March 6 but Darche got an early start, adding defenceman Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers for a 2026 third-round pick on Monday, and then trading for two-time Stanley Cup champion Ondrej Palat and two draft picks on Tuesday in exchange for winger Maxim Tsyplakov.

When asked by reporters on Wednesday if Darche was open to moving one of the team’s two 2026 first-round picks, he said yes.

“If the right deal comes along, absolutely,” said Darche. “Nothing is off the table if I can improve the team. Doesn’t mean I’m going to move a first-round pick by any means but if something makes sense, I’ve got two this summer, I’m not afraid to move one.

“But I won’t move one just to get a name that sounds exciting but doesn’t quite fit just to do it.”

The Islanders have their own first-round pick for the 2026 draft as well as the first-round selection they acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Brock Nelson trade last year.

New York had three first-round picks in June’s draft. They won the draft lottery and took defenceman Matthew Schaefer, a front-runner for the Calder Trophy, first overall. They also took Djurgardens forward Victor Eklund (No. 16) and Barrie Colts defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson (No. 17) with the two first-round picks they received from the Montreal Canadiens in the Noah Dobson trade.

In making the deals, New York took advantage of the cap space opened up by long-term injuries to forwards Kyle Palmieri and Pierre Engvall, defenceman Alexander Romanov and goaltender Semyon Varlamov.

The Islanders are third in the Metropolitan Division and have won two straight games. Darche said he wanted to reward his team for the season they’ve had so far.

“I want to reward the players for putting us in this position to get to the playoffs,” said Darche. “I felt, without being crazy moves, these are two players [Soucy and Palat] that will help us as they push towards the playoffs.”