NHL Draft Day 2: Is Lou drafting players with both second-round picks?

He chose wisely with his first first-round selection since 2019, but maybe he has an itchy trigger finger today.

Cole “Goal” Eiserman? Just “Goal” Eiserman? One of those has to be a thing already, right?

It wasn’t quite as much of a dud as the 2023 NHL Draft. But just like last year, the insiders hyped up the week leading up to the 2024 NHL Draft as a potential fireworks display, only for no players to move yet again. At least there were pick trades this year.

But that meant that the Islanders, for the first time since 2019, actually kept and used their first-round pick, 20th overall (after trading down from 18th with Chicago a month ago), on Cole Eiserman. As late as last November, Eiserman was projected as a potential no. 2 overall pick. His goal-scoring plateaued in a way, but when you’re already scoring at a historic pace, it’s hard to go up from there—he leaves the U.S. National Team Development Program as its career leader in goals, 127(!) in 119 games. Not 127 points, 127 goals.

Scouts seem to wish he played a more complete game, but he does the one thing you can’t teach, and a lot of it. Naturally, the Al Arbour quote about drafting Mike Bossy made its rounds: something to the effect of, “I can teach a scorer to check… I can’t teach a checker to score.”

Lofty comparison, one we probably shouldn’t hold him to, but the thinking is the same, and it’s refreshing to see Lou Lamoriello operate that way. He was as shocked as anyone that Eiserman was on the board for him at no. 20.

Day 2 of the Draft kicks off at 11:30 a.m. ET on NHL Network and streaming on ESPN+. The Islanders hold two second-round picks, and plenty of names remain out there. It remains to be seen whether the Isles use both of them, though. Nikolaj Ehlers just feels like a Patrick Roy Islander.

Here’s a smattering of bits; there will be more tomorrow post-draft. It’s nice to be back, folks. Work got crazy right around the time the Islanders got bounced, but I’m glad I am once again hammering away half asleep on my keyboard.

Islanders News

• Eiserman is a departure from the Islanders’ typical philosophy and is heading to Boston University. [LHH | Newsday]
• It sounds like Lamoriello and the Isles’ staff had Eiserman pretty high up on their board as it stood, and they were thrilled he fell to them. Eiserman also expressed that the Islanders seemed to understand his vision better than most other teams. [Islanders]
• Back in March, Scott Wheeler did a feature on Eiserman, who by that point was dropping down all the scouts’ rankings and draft boards. [The Athletic]

Elsewhere

• Looks like Steven Stamkos will be heading to the market on Monday. This is a post from 2016. [NHL]
• Sam Reinhart hasn’t re-signed with Florida yet but he probably will. [NHL]
• The Rangers and Red Wings are discussing a Jacob Trouba trade. I don’t think Stevie Y is all that good at this job and carries his reputation on the base of a few lucky picks with the Lightning, and that was probably more the scouts’ work than his. [NY Post]
• The Flyers are buying out Cam Atkinson for some reason. They have cap space and aren’t trying to be good next year. [NHL]
• Anthony Duclair feels pretty good about himself heading into free agency. [NHL]
• Some buzz around the league, including Alexandre Texier being traded from the Blue Jackets to the Blues and signing a two-year deal. [NHL]