According to Frank Seravalli, the Chicago Blackhawks are open to moving the third overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft. This provides a bit of insight into what the Blackhawks think will happen with the New York Islanders at No. 1 and the San Jose Sharks at No. 2.
Prior to the 2025 NHL Draft Combine, it seemed like there were a few players who the Islanders could take with th first pick. After leaving the 2025 Draft Combine, 17-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer seemed to separate himself from the pack with his interviews.
Additionally, forward Michael Misa told his roommate Malcolm Spence at the combine that he'd love to go to San Jose, which suggests that Misa knows he's not going No. 1.
Looking at the Blackhawk's prospect pool, even after drafting defenseman Artyom Levshunov second overall in 2024, it's clear they had an interest in Schaefer, given that he's the best blue-liner in the draft.
The second-best defenseman is Radim Mrka, who could go anywhere from fifth overall to the mid-teens. Maybe Chicago's goal is to trade back and snag him. Then again, they have bolstered their blue line, so, as Blackhawks writer for Bleacher Nation and The Fourth Period, Tab Bradford shared that Chicago is looking for scoring.
That ties into the next point.
What's left out of that initial tweet is that Seravalli also said that the Utah Mammoth are also fielding calls on the fourth overall pick.
We know, from conversations at the combine, that Utah is very high on Brady Martin, who is projected to go at No. 6 to the Philadelphia Flyers, per Craig Button's latest mock draft:
Long Island native James Hagens continues to be disrespected in these mock drafts, as his stock, at least amongst the collective media, seems to fall a bit every day even though he was the consensus No. 1 pick for a few years.
However, if this mock draft and others are on the money or in the ballpark of what the lottery team general managers are thinking, the farther Hagens falls, the more likely it is that the Islanders trade back into the draft to grab the Hauppauge native.
I wrote about this the other day. The Islanders, at least I don't think, will be making a pre-draft trade to get back into the first round. After drafting Schaefer, if that's truly their intended route, they'll see how the rest of the draft plays out after the second pick and go from there.
If general manager Mathieu Darche believes that Hagens should be an Islander and a lane that makes sense opens up, I wouldn't be shocked if he pulled the trigger. But, it has to be a deal that makes sense.
The Islanders, The 2025 NHL Draft & The Trade ConversationThe 2025 NHL Draft is just two weeks away. The New York Islanders have the first overall pick for the first time since 2009, and there is a chance they add more than one stud to their roster.
It's possible that the Islanders could have two picks in the top five if they trade back into the first round to draft Long Island native
James Hagens.
The question is, with a few teams now being vocal about moving their pick, a pre-draft trade not involving the Islanders may make things more complicated when it comes to bringing Hagens home.
I believe there are many teams looking to move up in the draft to select Hagens, which would put a wrinkle in potential plans.
Again, we have no idea how much Darche values Hagens.
Chicago, like any team looking to move a top-five pick, is seeking specifics in returns — a difference-maker. They should take Anton Frondell, an Aleksander Barkov type, but hey, to each their own.
Who do the Islanders have that could be a difference maker for a Blackhawks or Utah team?
Immediately, you think of Noah Dobson, a restricted free-agent defenseman who could command north of $9 million -- my prediction is $9.15 million on a long-term deal -- as a difference maker.
I think another underrated difference maker that the Islanders have is forward Simon Holmstrom, who is also a restricted free agent. He'll command between $3-$4 million. I think it would be a mistake to move on from the Swedish forward, as I think he's only going to get better.
Given his defensive game and his overall growth in his offensive game, Holmstrom has proven to be a top-six forward at just 24 years old. It would be a mistake to move on from him, but we know Utah is looking for top-six help for pick No. 4.
If it meant getting Hagens, would you move Dobson to Chicago or Holmstrom to Utah?
Could defenseman Alexander Romanov be in play? What about Maxim Tsyplakov?
To be honest, I'm not so sure the Islanders should move. My mindset is that if you can trade a pick or a prospect for a proven NHLer -- of course, not the first overall pick -- you do it nine times out of 10.
I am pretty high on Hagens, and I think he's going to be a fantastic player in this league, but there's certainly risk involved, especially if the Islanders are moving on from a No. 2 defenseman or a young, controllable top-six winger -- the Islanders lack depth at the wing position.
The NHL Draft begins on July 27 in Los Angeles.
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