The 2025 NHL Entry Draft begins on June 27. It leaves plenty of time for the teams, the fans, and everyone in between to speculate and overthink the top selection in the draft. Who will the New York Islanders take at one? It’s anyone’s guess, and that’s what we’ll try to do in the next six weeks.
It’s easy to look at defenseman Matthew Schaefer as the best choice. However, it’s not a clear-cut decision, especially for an Islanders team looking for forwards both in the short and long term. It’s why James Hagens or Michael Misa can go first overall, with both prospects making great cases to join the Islanders.
Related: Islanders’ Only Real Choice With Top Draft Pick Is Matthew Schaefer From Historic Perspective
The Islanders have options, but who is the better fit? They have a roster built to retool and, ideally, will draft a player who can make an impact immediately. That said, they are rebuilding the prospect pool, and it’s also beneficial to have a skater to build around while the other prospects develop. It makes choosing between Hagens and Misa a tough one, as they are both great talents yet provide different skills to the lineup.
James Hagens
The first thing that comes to mind is playmaking. Hagens is a passer who makes the other skaters on the ice better. The Islanders have plenty of scorers, including Bo Horvat, Simon Holmstrom, and Anders Lee on the NHL roster, and the pipeline has a few shooters with Cole Eiserman and Calum Ritchie standing out. It means having a skater like Hagens, who can find them open, goes a long way.
The playmaking aspect of his game starts with his passing but is also fueled by his speed. Hagens not only creates scoring chances off the rush, but it also helps his defensive play as well, since he’ll often chase down opponents with the puck and create turnovers. When trying to find a player to compare Hagens to, the answers are usually Logan Cooley’s passing with the speed of Jack Hughes, making him a great fit for the Islanders now and in the future.
Hagens is an elite talent who will likely be a top-line center at the NHL level, but his size is a concern. At 176 pounds, he’s a smaller center who will get pushed around, which is why the best move is to let him develop for another season before he joins the NHL team. Being a smaller skater can also ultimately bump Hagens to the wing in the long run, while other skaters lead the Islanders up the middle.
That wouldn’t be the worst thing. Mathew Barzal moved to the wing when the Islanders acquired Horvat, and he’s still the elite playmaker in the offense. Likewise, plenty of teams are led by elite wingers instead of centers, most notably, the Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning. Hagens can play the wing and still be the playmaker the Islanders need.
Michael Misa
Mise is the highest upside center, not just compared to Hagens, but to any prospect in this draft. He does everything on the offensive end of the ice and can single-handedly take over games. Every team that makes a deep playoff run has that type of forward, whether it’s the Edmonton Oilers with Connor McDavid, the Florida Panthers with Matthew Tkachuk, or Mikko Rantanen carrying the Dallas Stars; teams need that game-changer. The Islanders haven’t had one of those players in a long time, and it’s why they were a borderline playoff team in recent seasons, but not much more than that.
If the Islanders have Misa on the NHL roster from day one, they can have him playing on the same line as Barzal or leading the second line. He has the skill to start out as a top-line winger alongside Barzal and Horvat before eventually becoming the center and leader of the forward unit.
Then there’s Misa’s long-term fit, where he can lead a top line with Eiserman on the wing while Ritchie centers the second line. Misa’s ability not only makes him a fit with what the Islanders have, but he also takes their offense to the next level. Misa is the forward the Islanders can build their offense around, and there aren’t many (if any) players in this draft that the same could be said about.
Like Hagens and Connor Bedard from a few drafts back, Misa doesn’t play a physical brand of hockey (he’s 6 foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds, so he’s not the biggest forward in this class either). Adjusting to the physical game is something all prospects must deal with, and Misa is no exception. The same can be said about his defensive play, which was great in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) but isn’t comparable to the NHL.
It’s a small thing to point out and not a red flag that takes away from Misa’s upside. That said, it’s something the Islanders, a team built on two-way centers, will keep in mind. It’s not a reason to pass on Misa yet, it’s something the Islanders will work on once he’s in their system.
Does Fit Matter?
In the long run, the roster fit won’t matter. Sure, the Islanders want to draft to fill a void on the roster, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Rosters change, and by the time prospects are hitting their strides, the team will look different to the point where one need isn’t as prevalent anymore.
It’s best to draft the most talented player and figure everything else out afterwards. For the Islanders, that might mean ignoring the forwards altogether and taking Schaefer. Do they need defensemen? No, but it doesn’t matter if Schaefer becomes the best player in this draft.
It’s also worth noting that this draft doesn’t have a consensus top pick or a prospect who is expected to make an impact right away. That’s why the Islanders, regardless of who they take, should start their prospect out in the American Hockey League (AHL) to work on their 200-foot game before getting the call-up to the NHL. The Islanders are in a spot where they don’t need to rush their prospects, and instead, patience with their top picks and the other elite prospects in the pipeline will pay off.
Does Hagens or Misa make more sense for the Islanders? Let us know in the comments section below!
