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2018 NHL Draft: Report card grades for every team

By Jeremy Lambert

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes and Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadians pose for a picture of the 2018 NHL draft on June 22, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes and Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadians pose for a picture of the 2018 NHL draft on June 22, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Oliver Wahlstrom poses after being selected eleventh overall by the New York Islanders during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Oliver Wahlstrom poses after being selected eleventh overall by the New York Islanders during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

New York Islanders – A

First Round Picks: Oliver Wahlstrom (RW) (11th), Noah Dobson (D) (12th)

If John Tavares leaves the island, the New York Islanders did well in this draft to offset some of the pain. And if Tavares stays, then who cares about this draft because Islanders fans will be throwing a victory party commemorating the first time a player is willingly staying in Brooklyn. Oliver Wahlstrom is a goalscorer in the same way Jay-Z is a pimp. For those unfamiliar with the pimping prowess of Jay-Z, he’s “a pimp in every sense of the word.” Wahlstrom will score plenty of goals in his NHL career. More if Tavares flees to Canada.

The Islanders followed their quest to potentially replace the goals Tavares will leave behind by addressing an even bigger issue. The quest to keep pucks out of their own net. Dobson is a great skater and potentially the best two-way defender in the draft. Everyone wants to find offensive defensemen who can lead the rush the create scoring chances. Dobson does a little of that, but he’s responsible in his own end as well. The Islanders were in a great position with back-to-back lottery picks. They nailed both selections.

Other Notable Picks: Bode Wilde (D) (41), Jakub Skarek (G) (72), Blade Jenkins (LW) (134)

Somehow, Bode Wilde fell to the Islanders in the second round. Wilde has first-round talent, but his commitment issues kept him from going in the top 31. This was still a worthwhile risk for the organization. Skarek was a highly rated goalie that the Islanders were able to snag in the third round. Blade Jenkins was the 26th ranked North American skater by Central Scouting. I have no idea how he fell all the way to No. 134.

The Islanders got some bad news on the John Tavares front as he decided he’ll meet with five other teams. Still, the Islanders had a fantastic draft and Tavares is likely staying anyway.

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