Islanders ‘Kicked Tires’ On Several Players Traded Before And During Night One Of NHL Draft

BUFFALO, NY — The New York Islanders appeared extremely quiet leading up to night one of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Breaking Down NHL Draft Night Trades: Bruins Add Peterka, Rangers Get Dorofeyev, Blues Acquire McTavish The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues added forwards in trades during the first round of the NHL draft. But those moves weren’t all.

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But general manager Mathieu Darche said they were anything but.

“We didn’t have any trades, but I can tell you, we haven’t been quiet the last week,” Darche told us on Zoom following the first round. “Basically, I’ve had my phone attached to my ear, and you’re kicking tires, teams are calling, you’re listening. That’s my job to listen to anybody who calls. I’ve called a bunch of teams.

“Was I in on some of these trades? Yeah, I had a lot of discussions with these teams, some of which could be other players, no trade clauses — it could be various factors that we just didn’t get anything through this time.”

Darche, who selected left-shot defenseman Malte Gustafsson at No. 13, told us he tried to move higher up the draft board a few times.

Islanders Select Left-Shot Defenseman Malte Gustafsson With 13th Selection In 2026 NHL Draft The 6’4” Swedish blueliner brings elite skating and three-zone versatility to New York’s pipeline, fresh off a dominant showing as an international shutdown force for HV71.

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“I did try to move up a few times, depending on who was available, and that didn’t go through,” Darche said. “And there’s a few teams, if my guy’s not there, I might move back.

“But it’s funny because it’s rare that…every year we have our list, and it’s rare that usually in the top 10, that all your top 10, or almost all your top 10, are not all our top 10, because we had Malte rated very high, but it was somewhat predictable, not necessarily where they went, but which were the top 15 guys. It was somewhat more predictable than other years, from my experience.”

Trying to improve the team is a 24-hour gig.

“Even tonight on the way home, I’m sure I’ll be on the phone,” Darche said. “Tomorrow, we’ll be on the phone all day through the draft, and Sunday again. We don’t leave any stone unturned. Sometimes, it doesn’t go your way and there are times you might want the player, but do you want the contract that comes with it?

“There’s a lot of factors that factor in whether we have a trade or not, but we’ve been extremely active on the phone, but just nothing has materialized so far.”