When the Penguins made their pick at the 11th selection taking Benjamin Kindel, they were up again with the 12th pick. But they decided to trade it to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Little did the Penguins know that they were doing the New York Islanders a favor and hilariously leaving two players on the board for them that the Penguins likely should have selected.
Mathieu Darche put Kyle Dubas in the doghouse and selected Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson with the 16th and 17th picks, leaving Dubas regretting not taking Eklund at 12 rather than trading down further.
With the 16th pick in 2025 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders are proud to select Victor Eklund.#Isles | @UBS pic.twitter.com/RGT7MPQ8N5
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 28, 2025
Schaefer and Aitcheson are a nightmare waiting to happen to the Penguins
The Islanders had picks 1, 16, and 17 in tonight's first-round of the NHL Draft. They got the 16th and 17th picks when they traded Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens.
Matthew Schaefer was selected number one overall, and Aitcheson was selected 17th overall and what two picks for Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche.
These two being on the same team and likely on the same defensive pairing for the Islanders is an absolute nightmare for the Penguins. They already have an issue when they play the Islanders but leaving Aitcheson on the board and the Islanders picking Schaefer, made that much much worse.
The Penguins should have picked Eklund at 12 but the Islanders took advantage
The Penguins seemed to not have a hard decision to make when they had the 12th overall pick. Yes, they decided to trade it, but Victor Eklund was right there. Eklund should have been the pick and this decision should not have been difficult.
Dubas' thinking is understandable here as he gathered two more first-round picks and wanted to add even more quality to his prospect pool, but he is going to regret not picking Eklund.