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NHL Rumors

NHL Rumors: The New York Islanders Are Open to Trading Their First-Round Pick

Mark Easson 02/01/2026
3 Min Read
New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche said if a deal made sense, he's open to trading their 2026 first-round pick.
New York Islanders General Manager Mathieu Darche speaks with fans at a pre-game event prior to the game against the St. Louis Blues at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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The New York Islanders would move a first-round pick, but it has to make sense

Frank Seravalli: New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche, when asked how aggressive they could be leading up to the trade deadline. He said he’d be open to moving a first-round pick, but it would have to make sense for the organization. Darche doesn’t want to make a trade for the sake of making a trade.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Seravalli: “You made two moves this week (defenseman Carson Soucy and forward Ondrej Palat). You mentioned that you wanted to reward this group. I guess maybe the easiest way to say that is you did improve this team, but you also kind of got paid to do it at the same time. You’ve got some cap space left, some assets. How aggressive do you envision being between now and March 6th.”

Darche: “But every day, I’m talking to different teams. If there’s an opp, like, if there’s an opportunity to make a move to improve the team, I’ll do it.

And someone this morning asked me, when I did the local media, would you move one of your first-round picks? If it makes sense, I would. I’m not like, ‘Oh, I can’t move a first-round pick.’ First of all, I work with Julian BriseBois, so we all know that I don’t mind moving a first-round pick. So honestly, if there’s a deal that makes sense and moving one of those picks, I will.

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So, is there one right now I’m working on? No. Can something come up? Possibly. But I’ll keep kicking tires and see. Maybe we do something else, maybe we don’t. It just depends.

Because I won’t make another trade just to make a trade. It has to make sense. So if it makes sense, I’ll try to, I know it’s a, it’s a generic answer, but the reality of it is true. And I’m sure every team’s the same way. Like you don’t make a change for sake of change. You want to make a change that improves your team. And, you know, the what you have to pay for that change makes sense. So, and that’s what we’ve done so far, and we’ll see where it goes in the next few weeks.

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TAGGED:Mathieu DarcheNew York Islanders
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2025-26 Critical Dates

Feb. 1: NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium (Lightning vs. Bruins)
Feb. 4-22: Trade Freeze
Feb. 6-16: Teams can’t practice
Feb. 6-24: Olympic break
Feb. 11-22: Olympic Games in Milan
Feb. 25: NHL resumes
Mar. 6: NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
Apr. 16: Regular Season Ends
Apr. 18: Stanley Cup Playoffs begin
TBA: 2026 NHL Draft Lottery
June 21: Last possible day for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
June 26-27: 2026 NHL Draft
July 1: Free agency begins (12 p.m. ET)

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