Islanders General Manager Discusses Trade Activity Ahead of NHL Draft

The New York Islanders may have seemed quiet as the 2026 NHL Draft unfolded, but behind the scenes, general manager Mathieu Darche was anything but inactive. Following the first round of the draft, Darche revealed that his team had been deeply engaged in discussions, despite not executing any trades.

“We didn’t have any trades, but I can tell you, we haven’t been quiet the last week,” Darche shared during a Zoom call. “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.”

Darche acknowledged his involvement in trade talks, admitting that he had multiple discussions with other teams. Factors such as potential players and no-trade clauses complicated negotiations. “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,” he explained.

With the 13th overall pick, the Islanders selected left-shot defenseman Malte Gustafsson. Darche noted that he had tried to move up the draft board on several occasions. “I did try to move up a few times, depending on who was available, and that didn’t go through,” he said. He also mentioned the possibility of moving back in the draft if his preferred player was unavailable.

Reflecting on the draft’s predictability, Darche remarked, “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.”

For Darche, the pursuit of team improvement is a continuous endeavor. “Even tonight on the way home, I’m sure I’ll be on the phone. Tomorrow, we’ll be on the phone all day through the draft, and Sunday again. We don’t leave any stone unturned,” he asserted. He emphasized the complex nature of trades, noting that sometimes a desired player comes with contractual implications that must be carefully weighed. “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.”

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.