BROOKLYN, NY “ The New York Islanders seemingly have a lot on their minds these days, well with the thought of their franchise player potentially leaving for green pastures a year from now, the possibility of needing to find a new home after finally finding a new home in Brooklyn, the upcoming expansion draft, free agency and the NHL Entry Draft. We could talk about all those fun things but the only thing that matters 
for the long term future of any club in the NHL Draft.
PHN once again looks into what the Islanders just might be doing with the 15th overall in this year’s draft. Does the team look for a center who might end of replacing John Tavares? Does the team look for another potential all-star caliber blueliner? Lets see how the chips fall in PHN’s Mock Draft 2017 style.
The Islanders were a bit of a mixed bag all season long, never too bad in one area, never too good in others. Most of their goal scoring production is either from the center or left wing positions. Scoring was not a major issue but the blueline continues to be an issue going forward.
The John Tavares situation has a lot of fans and members of the team brass collectively being nerves nellies these days. No one has a crystal ball, but you can bet the Islanders will put out all the stops to save their best player from free agency. How much that weighs on how the Islanders draft is another story.
With that, in our mock draft, the Islanders can go down the middle of the ice with centers such as Nick Suzuki, Ryan Poeling, Martin Necas are still on the board. Our gut feeling is if the Islanders want to address the center position they would most likely go for Necas. New York does have prospect Mathew Barzal waiting in the wing but is he enough for the Isles to pass up taking a center?
Truth be told the Islanders need right wingers more than anything if they want to go with a forward. Urho Vaakanainen from Finland is still on the board as well as Kailer Yamamoto definitely fits the bill as would Kole Lind, both from the WHL.
Our gut feeling is the Islanders will take the best player available approach and that in this case will be a defenseman. Quite a few are out there but in a year when it is top heavy with forwards the blueline will get a boost with a bit of a surprise when the Islander pick comes up in Chicago.
“With the 15th pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders select, from the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League, Cale Makar.”
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