Hockey Wilderness Community 2011 NHL Mock Draft: New York Islanders

After four picks, amazingly enough, the top four picks have been taken. The trend looks to be toward forwards, but that could change as we progress, and the needs of the teams change. Don't draft for need is credo, it is rarely the practice. The top five to ten picks, though, belong to teams that need everything, yet they only get one shot at the piñata. 

Looking over the available future superstars available with the fourth pick, and setting aside another obvious flaw with the poll, the Devils took Sean Couturier, a 6'4" center with back to back 96 point seasons. Imagine Ilya Kovalchuk on a line with a should be big bodied center making room and making plays for him?

Coupled with a good coach, the Devils are going to be dangerous. And soon. 

Our Mock Draft so far:

1. Edmonton Oilers: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2. Colorado Avalanche: Gabriel Landeskog
3. Florida Panthers: Adam Larsson
4. New Jersey Devils: Sean Couturier

Next up, the New York Islanders. What should the Islanders add to a young, very skilled core? Do they need another playmaker? A stud d-man? Would they consider taking a goalie?

Make the jump, cast your vote, and make your case in the comments.

Who the Islanders take is anyone's guess. There are a pair of 100+ points centers still available in Jonathan Huberdeau and Ryan Strome. There is relatively small, but offensively talented defenseman Ryan Murphy, a Swiss gamble in Sven Bartschi, and Zack Phillips whose skating is holding him back. Who do they want? Who do they need?

This is one of those drafts where the top talent gets taken, and there is a sudden and sharp drop in talent level. After the top three, any one of these guys could go at any position. That is not a knock on anyone of them, but rather and indication of just how hard it will be to choose who is going to go where. At this point, everyone available is going to be helpful, should they be developed properly.

So, who do I think they take? Well, maybe they reach out and take Dougie Hamilton, a big defenseman to anchor the blueline for years to come. It would make sense, but they would skipping over quite a few highly talented offensive players to do so. Will fans on Long Island be accepting of skipping a stud center in order to take a stud defenseman at the fifth spot?

I doubt it. My guess is the Islanders take one of the top two remaining centers. What do you say?