Speculation: What Will The Islanders Do With Pick #5?

According to both Katie Strang and Chris Botta, the Islanders are considering moving the #5 pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, either for another draft slot in the first round (before or after #5) or for a legitimate high-end NHL player. 

The 2011 NHL Entry Draft is next Friday, June 24 at 8 PM and continues on Saturday, June 25 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

CH: Major props to Brian Compton, who has been saying the Islanders should consider this route for months on Islanders Interactive, his online show with Chris Botta. The Islanders have a few options here, as both Strang and Botta mention. First, let's look at moving the pick for a player. Botta goes into mentioning Jeff Carter in his piece. There's little question the Flyers have to move a piece if they want to sign Ilya Bryzgalov, but reports have come out that they won't move Carter. Carter, 26, is signed for 11 more years at a cap hit over $5 million. Aside from that, no names have spurred up yet which is unsurprising. Things happen at the draft ever year that no one sees coming. From Chris Pronger to Philadelphia to last year's trade between Vancouver/Florida, it's clear sometimes these things develop on the floor that night.

AT: I've seen reports of Carter to Columbus for their 1st round pick and Jakub Voracek. I've also seen reports saying Philly will not under any circumstances move Carter. If they want Ilya, they're going to have to move a player or two.

CH: I'm very cautious about moving a top 5 pick for a veteran, but it really depends on the deal itself. For me there's a few guidelines. First, the player must be signed for an additional 3-5 years - at least. We all know how hard it is to get people to sign on Long Island, for reasons will documented by both the team and its fans (not just the arena). It makes little sense to trade for a player like Alex Semin (who I don't want anyway), who is under contract for just one more season. He also needs to be a high character player - we don't need another Kirk Muller situation. Even if they aren't thrilled to come to a rebuilding team or even to Long Island, they need to be cheerful about it and they need to be ready to play. Just like Ryan Smyth was during his short Islander tenure. Finally, the trade needs to make sense. They don't need to make a splash to make a splash. For example, trading for Alex Semin won't help the team that much. Sure, his 40 goals are nice but he is not a three-zone player and I'm not so sure he is the type of player to propel this team to the playoffs.

AT: An extension past 1 year MUST come with this deal should it happen. Giving up the 5th spot that becomes a player that will be in the organization for many years should come with equal amount of years in the player that's being traded for. I don't want Semin for a year, I want a solid winger or D-man who will help this franchise for 3+ years.

CH: Secondly, regarding moving up and down in the draft. I'm not opposed to this, but quite frankly I think they are best suited to stay at 5. They are going to get a top prospect there as long as they pick one of the consensus top 8. They have two second round picks and two third round picks. The team picks 5 times in the first 65 and 6 times in the first 100. If they want to trade pick 50 or 63/65 to move back a few spots and get another pick in that range, that's okay, but they should stand pat at 5. Since there is not much of a tiered structure to this draft, I don't think it's necessary to get back in the first round UNLESS they can get back in the top 15. A trade like that may include a roster player. I definitely do not want to see this team move any 2012 picks. There's no guarantee they will make the playoffs, and there's no guarantee they won't be in the lottery. There is zero reason to take any chances just yet, and doing so would be irresponsible.

AT: IMO, the prime situation for the Isles is to trade up to get another 1st round pick in addition to the 5th spot, much like they did in 2009 to get Calvin De Haan (though I believe they already had a 1st round pick) at the 12th spot. Draft a forward like Huberdeau, Couturier, Zibanejad or Landeskog at the 5th spot and then a solid looking D-Man like Klefbom, Siemens or Beaulieu should they fall far enough.

Overall, the Islanders certainly have options, but unless some incredible deal comes along, they are best suited at picking at the number 5 slot next Friday.