Hope everyone had a pleasant weekend. I hope everyone took a moment out of their weekend and away from hockey, to remember why we are off today. For me it is a reflection of my uncle killed in World War ll and a friend who was killed in Afghanistan.

It makes you feel lucky that you can banter about hockey here, as well as the many other freedoms we have.

https://thehockeywriters....an-to-their-front-office/

https://thehockeywriters....an-to-their-front-office/
- Nfdbulldawg

Not sure if Shanahan would be interested in the job described in this article. He wouldn't really be the President of Hockey Operations. He'd be more like an advisor to the owners who is responsible for the miscellaneous non-hockey-related BS that comes with owning an NHL team. The GM wouldn't report to him, and he'd have little or no input in hockey decisions. I guess I like the idea of filling that position, because it frees up Darche to concentrate on the important stuff. I just don't think you need someone with Shanahan's resume for the job.

https://nhlrumors.com/nhl...ork-islanders/2025/05/26/

Not sure if Shanahan would be interested in the job described in this article. He wouldn't really be the President of Hockey Operations. He'd be more like an advisor to the owners who is responsible for the miscellaneous non-hockey-related BS that comes with owning an NHL team. The GM wouldn't report to him, and he'd have little or no input in hockey decisions. I guess I like the idea of filling that position, because it frees up Darche to concentrate on the important stuff. I just don't think you need someone with Shanahan's resume for the job.
- JohnScammo

John, I agree with you. I think this whole Shanahan thing took off because of the situation with the Isles and his previous connection with Collins. I think at this point Collins will act as the POHO until such time a decision is made to assist Darche.

IMO not having a Shanahan gives Darche some freedom to bring in the people he wants around him. I had also posted another link that points out Roy has this year and another 3 years after. Logic would tell you that there would need to be an extreme circumstance for the Isles Ownership to eat 4 years of Roy contract. IMO Darche will be more inclined to ask and get Roy what he needs to be successful on the ice.

Wasn't around all weekend, but good news all around with the Darche hire. With Roy seemingly sticking around for now, first orders of business should be figuring out what the deal with Dobson is and getting working on the draft. If they're miles apart with Dobson then they need to start shopping him as soon as the draft because allowing him to start the season without a long-term extension in place can't happen.

Wasn't around all weekend, but good news all around with the Darche hire. With Roy seemingly sticking around for now, first orders of business should be figuring out what the deal with Dobson is and getting working on the draft. If they're miles apart with Dobson then they need to start shopping him as soon as the draft because allowing him to start the season without a long-term extension in place can't happen.
- Gabe Athaus

Be curious who Darche brings on as Bridgeport GM cause it can’t be Chris Lamoriello. Maybe he hires an assistant GM who he appoints GM of Bridgeport?

Not sure if Shanahan would be interested in the job described in this article. He wouldn't really be the President of Hockey Operations. He'd be more like an advisor to the owners who is responsible for the miscellaneous non-hockey-related BS that comes with owning an NHL team. The GM wouldn't report to him, and he'd have little or no input in hockey decisions. I guess I like the idea of filling that position, because it frees up Darche to concentrate on the important stuff. I just don't think you need someone with Shanahan's resume for the job.
- JohnScammo

They reached out to me for an interview(and another internet GM from what I understand) but I’m not interested at this time.

Be curious who Darche brings on as Bridgeport GM cause it can’t be Chris Lamoriello. Maybe he hires an assistant GM who he appoints GM of Bridgeport?
- kindlyrick

I don't know, but there are definitely more pressing issues to start with.

Bridgeport absolutely needs to be addressed from top to bottom though. Maybe that happens later in the summer, after the draft and free agency. Regardless of who the coach/GM is there, a huge part of the reason they've been so terrible is that the Islanders haven't really allowed them to improve by drafting high and/or well. So that part will take time since there are roster rules that limit the amount of veterans on AHL teams. But the rest needs to be addressed this year for sure.

If you were Darsch, Would you sogn Palms at 3.5 to 4 million for 2 years?

If you were Darsch, Would you sogn Palms at 3.5 to 4 million for 2 years?

They reached out to me for an interview(and another internet GM from what I understand) but I’m not interested at this time.
- Cptmjl

Dang! You were at the top of my list.

Why James Hagens dropped down NHL draft boards, and the Islanders’ unique predicament at No. 1

By Corey Pronman
May 27, 2025 7:00 am EDT

James Hagens entered the 2025 draft cycle coming off an MVP performance at the 2024 U18 World Championships and a dominant season in the USHL. He was projected by many — including myself and several NHL scouts I spoke to — as the No. 1 prospect for this class.

He had a very good draft season. Hagens posted a point per game as a freshman at Boston College, playing major minutes on one of the top teams in college hockey. He centered the top line for Team USA at the World Juniors, where they won gold. He has a rich history of prolific scoring and being one of the very best players in his age group. He is among the very best skaters and puck handlers in this draft.

We’ve been spoiled recently with the years Macklin Celebrini and Adam Fantilli had in college in their draft seasons. Hagens didn’t do what they did, but his season compares to what Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson did at Michigan when they were top-five picks in 2021.

Hagens has outplayed several top draft prospects he’s being compared to — or has apparently been surpassed by — at various events. He was way better than Porter Martone at this year’s World Juniors and arguably just as good or better than him at the U18 Worlds last spring. At that tournament, where Hagens was a top player, Caleb Desnoyers was a fourth-line forward for Canada. Hagens also outplayed Michael Misa at their U17 Challenge two years ago.

So why isn’t he considered in the conversation for the best player in the draft anymore?

There are a few variables. While he played very well this season, evaluators have minor questions about how Hagens’ game would translate to the NHL. At BC, he had stretches this season where he was hard to notice at even strength and had too many games where he was invisible. He struggled to consistently get to the inside against bigger college defenders. He also struggled to score goals this season.

At barely 5-foot-11 and without a physical edge, his profile becomes harder to project as a top-line NHL center who you can win with. His compete level is decent and looked good at the World Juniors, but I wouldn’t call it a standout trait.

If Hagens turns into the most offensively productive player from this class, I wouldn’t be shocked, and frankly, I would call him the most purely talented offensive player in the class. But winning in the NHL is about more than scoring. Several players — such as Misa and potentially Anton Frondell, Desnoyers or Martone — may go ahead of Hagens simply because the profile they project as (bigger, two-way players, most as centers) is more valuable to NHL teams than a dynamic, scoring small player who may or may not be an NHL center.

The scouts who are bullish on Hagens, though, would argue that if he were playing junior hockey instead of college, he would have lapped some of those other players.

The Islanders’ predicament
Which brings us to the New York Islanders, who now face a fascinating decision.

As soon as they won the draft lottery, buzz around Hagens started up among a vocal part of the fan base. Hagens is from Long Island. He grew up an Islanders fan. For a franchise that lost their last No. 1 pick when John Tavares signed with Toronto as a free agent, the idea of drafting one of their own carries real emotional weight, especially given his profile as a projected No. 1 pick at some point.

That, however, is not the state of the draft currently. Right now, there’s one player most teams believe is fitting of the No. 1 pick: Matthew Schaefer. A minority leans toward Misa, but that is the extent of it. Frankly, from the scouts I’ve talked to, there are as many who feel Hagens isn’t a top-five player in the draft than who feel there’s a meaningful challenger to Schaefer at No. 1.

“Schaefer is the only truly special player in this draft,” said one NHL scout, with an executive we talked to stating, “Other than maybe Misa, Schaefer is in a tier of his own.”

Schaefer is a 6-foot-2 defenseman with tremendous skating ability who makes a lot of plays, competes hard and has the ability to control games from the back end. He projects as a star 25-minute-per-game NHL defenseman who helps you win playoff games. He dominated almost every game he suited up in this season, even if his playing time was limited due to injury. His offensive upside isn’t elite, but the total package is. Even if he wasn’t clearly ahead of Hagens a year ago at this time, Schaefer is nearly a full year younger than Hagens, and as he continued to develop this season, the separation became clear.

If the Islanders had the No. 2 pick, the Hagens conversation would make sense. He’s not my No. 2 ranked player, or that of almost any NHL scout I’ve talked to, but it’s perfectly within the realm of possibilities that Hagens ends up the pure best player in the class, surpassing Schaefer, and even more reasonable that he could end up the best forward in the draft. This isn’t a Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini draft where the difference from 1 to 5 is gigantic. But Hagens becoming the best player in the draft is not the likely outcome, and taking Hagens over Schaefer would be the move of an organization that is unserious about winning the Stanley Cup and putting a priority on other variables.

“They’d be going way off the board in the eyes of most teams if they took Hagens,” said one NHL scout.

The Tavares situation looms in the background, but it’s not the same. It’s understandable the organization feels overshadowed at times by the Rangers, but the Islanders aren’t the team they were in 2018. They have stable ownership. They have a permanent home in UBS Arena and have had reasonable playoff success in recent years. The idea that Hagens would stay just because he’s local isn’t enough to make up for passing on the better player.

Hagens is a fantastic NHL prospect with the potential to be an impact offensive player. He has the tools to be a consistent 60-80 point forward in the league or better. My NHL comparison for him is William Nylander. He’s a legitimate top-five talent and would be a perfectly reasonable pick at No. 2 or 3.

But as tends to be the case in many drafts, there is typically a distinction between the No. 1 prospect and the next best player. The gap isn’t as wide this year, but in the mind of most evaluators, and I tend to agree, the pick is clear-cut. As difficult as it may be, the Islanders have only one correct decision to make, and that is drafting Schaefer.

I don't know, but there are definitely more pressing issues to start with.

Bridgeport absolutely needs to be addressed from top to bottom though. Maybe that happens later in the summer, after the draft and free agency. Regardless of who the coach/GM is there, a huge part of the reason they've been so terrible is that the Islanders haven't really allowed them to improve by drafting high and/or well. So that part will take time since there are roster rules that limit the amount of veterans on AHL teams. But the rest needs to be addressed this year for sure.
- Gabe Athaus

I have to imagine Darche is going to fill seats at the isles draft table. He has to have some of his people’s input.
To me, it’s unequivocally Schaefer as the first overall for the isles. He and Dobson would be the best pair the isles have had since Aucoin, Jonnson

If you were Darsch, Would you sogn Palms at 3.5 to 4 million for 2 years?
- nyisles7

For an isles team about to retool, it makes sense to sign a 25-30 goal scorer for 3.5 million. Does he sign with the isles is the question? If he signs elsewhere it just hammers home that he shoulda been moved at the deadline.

I have to imagine Darche is going to fill seats at the isles draft table. He has to have some of his people’s input.
To me, it’s unequivocally Schaefer as the first overall for the isles. He and Dobson would be the best pair the isles have had since Aucoin, Jonnson
- kindlyrick

I would absolutely love to have Hagens, but if they're picking at #1 it has to be Schaefer. I'm open to a lot of scenarios that may potentially get us back into the top-5ish to take Hagens, but he can't be the #1 pick for us.

I would absolutely love to have Hagens, but if they're picking at #1 it has to be Schaefer. I'm open to a lot of scenarios that may potentially get us back into the top-5ish to take Hagens, but he can't be the #1 pick for us.
- Gabe Athaus

I agree. No Schaefer or Misa you can maybe take Hagens at #1.

Why James Hagens dropped down NHL draft boards, and the Islanders’ unique predicament at No. 1

By Corey Pronman
May 27, 2025 7:00 am EDT

James Hagens entered the 2025 draft cycle coming off an MVP performance at the 2024 U18 World Championships and a dominant season in the USHL. He was projected by many — including myself and several NHL scouts I spoke to — as the No. 1 prospect for this class.

He had a very good draft season. Hagens posted a point per game as a freshman at Boston College, playing major minutes on one of the top teams in college hockey. He centered the top line for Team USA at the World Juniors, where they won gold. He has a rich history of prolific scoring and being one of the very best players in his age group. He is among the very best skaters and puck handlers in this draft.

We’ve been spoiled recently with the years Macklin Celebrini and Adam Fantilli had in college in their draft seasons. Hagens didn’t do what they did, but his season compares to what Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson did at Michigan when they were top-five picks in 2021.

Hagens has outplayed several top draft prospects he’s being compared to — or has apparently been surpassed by — at various events. He was way better than Porter Martone at this year’s World Juniors and arguably just as good or better than him at the U18 Worlds last spring. At that tournament, where Hagens was a top player, Caleb Desnoyers was a fourth-line forward for Canada. Hagens also outplayed Michael Misa at their U17 Challenge two years ago.

So why isn’t he considered in the conversation for the best player in the draft anymore?

There are a few variables. While he played very well this season, evaluators have minor questions about how Hagens’ game would translate to the NHL. At BC, he had stretches this season where he was hard to notice at even strength and had too many games where he was invisible. He struggled to consistently get to the inside against bigger college defenders. He also struggled to score goals this season.

At barely 5-foot-11 and without a physical edge, his profile becomes harder to project as a top-line NHL center who you can win with. His compete level is decent and looked good at the World Juniors, but I wouldn’t call it a standout trait.

If Hagens turns into the most offensively productive player from this class, I wouldn’t be shocked, and frankly, I would call him the most purely talented offensive player in the class. But winning in the NHL is about more than scoring. Several players — such as Misa and potentially Anton Frondell, Desnoyers or Martone — may go ahead of Hagens simply because the profile they project as (bigger, two-way players, most as centers) is more valuable to NHL teams than a dynamic, scoring small player who may or may not be an NHL center.

The scouts who are bullish on Hagens, though, would argue that if he were playing junior hockey instead of college, he would have lapped some of those other players.

The Islanders’ predicament
Which brings us to the New York Islanders, who now face a fascinating decision.

As soon as they won the draft lottery, buzz around Hagens started up among a vocal part of the fan base. Hagens is from Long Island. He grew up an Islanders fan. For a franchise that lost their last No. 1 pick when John Tavares signed with Toronto as a free agent, the idea of drafting one of their own carries real emotional weight, especially given his profile as a projected No. 1 pick at some point.

That, however, is not the state of the draft currently. Right now, there’s one player most teams believe is fitting of the No. 1 pick: Matthew Schaefer. A minority leans toward Misa, but that is the extent of it. Frankly, from the scouts I’ve talked to, there are as many who feel Hagens isn’t a top-five player in the draft than who feel there’s a meaningful challenger to Schaefer at No. 1.

“Schaefer is the only truly special player in this draft,” said one NHL scout, with an executive we talked to stating, “Other than maybe Misa, Schaefer is in a tier of his own.”

Schaefer is a 6-foot-2 defenseman with tremendous skating ability who makes a lot of plays, competes hard and has the ability to control games from the back end. He projects as a star 25-minute-per-game NHL defenseman who helps you win playoff games. He dominated almost every game he suited up in this season, even if his playing time was limited due to injury. His offensive upside isn’t elite, but the total package is. Even if he wasn’t clearly ahead of Hagens a year ago at this time, Schaefer is nearly a full year younger than Hagens, and as he continued to develop this season, the separation became clear.

If the Islanders had the No. 2 pick, the Hagens conversation would make sense. He’s not my No. 2 ranked player, or that of almost any NHL scout I’ve talked to, but it’s perfectly within the realm of possibilities that Hagens ends up the pure best player in the class, surpassing Schaefer, and even more reasonable that he could end up the best forward in the draft. This isn’t a Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini draft where the difference from 1 to 5 is gigantic. But Hagens becoming the best player in the draft is not the likely outcome, and taking Hagens over Schaefer would be the move of an organization that is unserious about winning the Stanley Cup and putting a priority on other variables.

“They’d be going way off the board in the eyes of most teams if they took Hagens,” said one NHL scout.

The Tavares situation looms in the background, but it’s not the same. It’s understandable the organization feels overshadowed at times by the Rangers, but the Islanders aren’t the team they were in 2018. They have stable ownership. They have a permanent home in UBS Arena and have had reasonable playoff success in recent years. The idea that Hagens would stay just because he’s local isn’t enough to make up for passing on the better player.

Hagens is a fantastic NHL prospect with the potential to be an impact offensive player. He has the tools to be a consistent 60-80 point forward in the league or better. My NHL comparison for him is William Nylander. He’s a legitimate top-five talent and would be a perfectly reasonable pick at No. 2 or 3.

But as tends to be the case in many drafts, there is typically a distinction between the No. 1 prospect and the next best player. The gap isn’t as wide this year, but in the mind of most evaluators, and I tend to agree, the pick is clear-cut. As difficult as it may be, the Islanders have only one correct decision to make, and that is drafting Schaefer.
- Gabe Athaus

On the bold part, I gotta say the Isles have had plenty of very effective two-way centers over the years; they haven't really had a truly dynamic goal scorer since... ... ...man, is it Ziggy Palffy? I have to be missing someone...Barzal is a legit dynamic playmaker, but not necessarily a goal scorer.

If the Isles are taking a forward, I feel like Hagens sounds better and better to me regardless of whether other teams favor bigger two-way players. The Isles have Horvat for seven more years to be that guy, and they're never able to lure the pure goal scorers here in free agency.

Putting Schaefer into the mix and what he might be able to bring on D changes the conversation, though. I guess the Isles haven't had a legit top defender in a long time, either, and a guy like that can control entire games. Either way, it's Darche's call now!

On the bold part, I gotta say the Isles have had plenty of very effective two-way centers over the years; they haven't really had a truly dynamic goal scorer since... ... ...man, is it Ziggy Palffy? I have to be missing someone...Barzal is a legit dynamic playmaker, but not necessarily a goal scorer.

If the Isles are taking a forward, I feel like Hagens sounds better and better to me regardless of whether other teams favor bigger two-way players. The Isles have Horvat for seven more years to be that guy, and they're never able to lure the pure goal scorers here in free agency.

Putting Schaefer into the mix and what he might be able to bring on D changes the conversation, though. I guess the Isles haven't had a legit top defender in a long time, either, and a guy like that can control entire games. Either way, it's Darche's call now!
- UIF

I think Schaefer being a dman and being a special talent and the Islanders having Eiserman and Ritchie lessen the need for Hagens.

For an isles team about to retool, it makes sense to sign a 25-30 goal scorer for 3.5 million. Does he sign with the isles is the question? If he signs elsewhere it just hammers home that he shoulda been moved at the deadline.
- kindlyrick

We still don’t know if a retool is the team’s plan.

For an isles team about to retool, it makes sense to sign a 25-30 goal scorer for 3.5 million. Does he sign with the isles is the question? If he signs elsewhere it just hammers home that he shoulda been moved at the deadline.
- kindlyrick

I care a lot more about the term than I do the cap hit. Two years is fine, anything more is a mistake in my opinion. Hell, give him one year at his old AAV and I'd be even happier. On a one year deal they can move him at the deadline for some assets if he's having a decent-or-better season. They just can't be hitching their wagons to aging vets on long-term deals.

On the bold part, I gotta say the Isles have had plenty of very effective two-way centers over the years; they haven't really had a truly dynamic goal scorer since... ... ...man, is it Ziggy Palffy? I have to be missing someone...Barzal is a legit dynamic playmaker, but not necessarily a goal scorer.

If the Isles are taking a forward, I feel like Hagens sounds better and better to me regardless of whether other teams favor bigger two-way players. The Isles have Horvat for seven more years to be that guy, and they're never able to lure the pure goal scorers here in free agency.

Putting Schaefer into the mix and what he might be able to bring on D changes the conversation, though. I guess the Isles haven't had a legit top defender in a long time, either, and a guy like that can control entire games. Either way, it's Darche's call now!
- UIF

Hagens isn't really billed as a big-time goal scorer though, he's probably a lot closer to a Barzal/Cooley/J. Hughes type than anything else. Not to say that as a knock against him or imply that his skillset won't be incredibly valuable, I just don't think anyone expects him to be a major "cant-miss" goal scorer at the NHL level.

I think Schaefer being a dman and being a special talent and the Islanders having Eiserman and Ritchie lessen the need for Hagens.
- ses111

I have to agree with you. It would be a mistake if they took Hagens at number one no matter how much I like the kid. I also think that there is a way back in at four with Utah's pick. Not sure exactly what Utah would take but I would try.

We still don’t know if a retool is the team’s plan.
- Cptmjl

Retool or rebuild is imminent as they lack a contending roster. Anyone they add will be a retool. Knowing that they’re re stocking the farm is somewhat of a rebuild. Whatever they wanna call it, just bring us a top end first line and a top pair d.

Retool or rebuild is imminent as they lack a contending roster. Anyone they add will be a retool. Knowing that they’re re stocking the farm is somewhat of a rebuild. Whatever they wanna call it, just bring us a top end first line and a top pair d.
- kindlyrick

Islanders have to be smart. No quick fixes that just adds more salary and does not improve the team enough.