New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche considered using the 16th and 17th picks from the Montreal Canadiens in the Noah Dobson trade to get a top-10 pick for Boston College standout and Long Island native James Hagens. However, he couldn’t secure a deal and watched Hagens go to the Boston Bruins at seventh overall.
“He was definitely on our radar,” Darche stated after the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. “We had him high on our list, and there were moments we thought the value was there to make a move. But he’s a good player, and that’s why the [Bruins] picked him. It is what it is.”
Hagens, from Hauppauge, expressed his desire to play for his hometown team throughout the pre-draft process. In his freshman year at Boston College, he posted 11 goals and 26 assists (37 points) in 37 games, and nine points in seven games for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships.
“I want to win a Stanley Cup with the Islanders,” Hagens shared on the NHL Draft Class podcast. “The last time they lifted the cup, my dad was a kid, and it’d mean a lot to my family, to Long Islanders, to everyone supporting the team, to bring the Stanley Cup home.”
Speculation grew that the Islanders would move up for Hagens after trading Dobson for the mid-first-round picks.
“Sometimes it takes two to tango,” Darche said. “You can offer ideas, but if the other team isn’t interested, those players are in the top 10 for a reason, and we couldn’t move up because they wanted them as well.”
The Islanders still made out well. After selecting Mathew Schaefer first overall, they were pleased to secure winger Victor Eklund and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson at 16 and 17.
“Everything happens for a reason. The guys we drafted at 16 and 17 were higher on our list, and we’re thrilled they were available,” Darche said. “We explored options all day, but a transaction had to make sense for us. We tried various things, but nothing fit our needs.”
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