Needing to strike big in the first round of the 2025 Entry Draft with the seventh overall pick, the Boston Bruins needed some luck. Usually, when it comes to drafts, you don't need much luck as you would on the ice during the season, but it appears the Balck and Gold dodged a key trade not happening because of a huge asking price.
According to Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the New York Islanders called the Utah Mammoth about trading for the fourth overall pick in the draft to target James Hagens. The reported asking price? A deal surrounding Mathew Barzel, something the Islanders were not interested in doing, according to Pagnotta on the Sekeres and Price podcast.
"One of the things I saw was a lot of different reports with respect to Utah and their discussions around the fourth overall pick. I had heard they wanted—it would have been a larger deal—but they wanted Mat Barzal in that mix if they were going to move the fourth overall pick,'' said Pagnotta. “I was told by someone with the Islanders that, “We like Hagens. I don’t know if we like him that much. So, obviously didn't get anywhere.”
Bruins benefitted from failed blockbuster at the draft
If that is true, what a huge failed trade for the Islanders. It was widely known that they were drooling over Hagens, a Long Island kid, and were targeting him despite winning the first overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery in May. They tried, and Utah said no, and Hagens just kept falling and falling and fell to the Bruins and Don Sweeney at No. 7.
Hagens was seen as the first pick in the draft for a while, but his stock dipped, and it is still hard to believe that he fell all the way to seven. Now, that doesn't mean that he's going to be the player that a lot of scouts think he can be, but this pick was a no-brainer for Sweeney and the scouting staff. It wouldn't have been possible if the Mammoth hadn't had a high asking price and stuck to their guns for a player the Islanders didn't want to give up.