New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche confirmed his club will make its selection at first overall come Friday's draft.
"I'm not trading the one, but you look at everything, right?" Darche said Tuesday, per NHL.com's Stefen Rosner. "Teams are calling you about various options. Every time you hear something might be going on, you call a team, and my job is to do my due diligence and see what's out there. Every single day, I'm trying to improve the New York Islanders."
The Islanders had a 3.5% chance of winning this year's draft lottery after finishing the season 23rd in the league standings. Darche took over New York's GM job weeks after the surprising lottery win following the departure of Lou Lamoreillo.
Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer is the top-ranked North American skater heading into the draft, but Darche didn't tip his hand on who he'll select.
"I can't tell you all my secrets, but calling around and getting as much info is part of the job," Darche said. "We all know the talent at this point. You're researching more the character and personalities. You are just trying to get as much information. There's a few guys we like, and I do have an idea at this point, because it's in four days. But we're going to keep doing our due diligence all the way through Friday."
He added, "(Schaefer) is an impressive young man. We've met a lot of impressive people, but Matthew, obviously, everybody knows about his story with his mom, his billet mom, and the resilience he's shown. He's an impressive young man. That's all I can say. You guys have seen him, too, through these interviews, and he's a hell of a player. He's a great person."
The Islanders have held the No. 1 pick four other times in franchise history, selecting John Tavares in 2009, Rick DiPietro in 2000, Denis Potvin in 1973, and Billy Harris in 1972.
