The New York Islanders did something over the weekend at the NHL Draft that may just be unprecedented. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Garth Snow offered up his entire draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for the No. 2 pick. How would that deal have looked on paper?
- To CBJ: Pick Nos. 4, 34, 65, 103, 125, 155 and 185.
- To NYI: Pick No. 2
It's really hard to determine which team here is dumber.
The deal would have dropped CBJ just two spots in the first round of the draft and it would have given them six extra picks overall in the draft. The Islanders clearly wanted the opportunity to draft defenseman Ryan Murray, but in talking with Matt Wagner of The Cannon in Pittsburgh over the weekend, it seems as though Columbus was all-in on Murray to the point that the Blue Jackets may have taken him over consensus No. 1 pick Nail Yakupov had both been available at No. 2.
But while they may not have had the chance to select Murray had they made this deal, it would have been an unbelievable score for Columbus. The team would have selected a really solid player with the No. 4 pick -- potentially Griffin Reinhart, the defensive prospect the Islanders wound up taking in that spot -- and would have ended up with 12 (!) picks over the course of the seven-round draft.
Scott Howson could have had Pick Nos. 4, 31, 34, 62, 65, 95, 103, 125, 152, 155, 182 and 185 on Friday and Saturday. Oh, and he had the option of taking the Kings No. 30 pick in the first round this year as well, which would have given Columbus four of the top 34 picks in the draft.
Ryan Murray is a fine prospect, but two NHL teams ridiculously overvalued him this past weekend. It's not hard to understand why these are the two of the worst teams in the league we're talking about here.