1985 Draft

       The Islanders Dynasty era team had it's last hurrah in the 1985 NHL playoffs. Following a 1984-85 season in which they posted a record of 40-34-6, good for 86 points and 3rd place in the Patrick Division, the Islanders faced the Washington Capitals in a best of five Division Semi-Final. After dropping the first two games both in overtime in Landover, Maryland the Islanders stormed back and received some heroic performances to win the next three games, taking the series 3 games to 2. But in the best of seven Division Finals the Islanders would find themselves pitted against an old nemesis in the Philadelphia Flyers, who were once again on the up-rise led by their brash young coach, Mike Keenan. The Islanders were quickly dispersed in five games and it became clear that a continued influx of young talent would be needed to soon replace the aging stars that were once heavily relied upon through the Cup years. GM Bill Torrey had already started to attempt to bring in some young talent. Waiting in the wings were players like Pat LaFontaine, Pat Flatley and Kelly Hrudey...learning from and playing alongside the likes of Mike Bossy, Billy Smith and Denis Potvin. They were the next generation of Islanders entering the post Dynasty years and the 1985 Entry Draft was another opportunity to build on that future. In fact, the Islanders were so high on Hrudey, Torrey traded backup goaltender Roland Melanson to Minnesota on November 19, 1984 in exchange for the North Stars first round pick in the 1985 Draft. Eventually that would turn out to be the 6th selection overall, giving the Islanders two picks within the top thirteen.

Hits: One of the most under-rated players in Islander history has to be left winger Derek King. While many Islander fans won't put him in the same breath as Bossy, John Tonelli, or Bobby Nystrom, King made a niche for himself as a sniper for the Islanders during the 90's long after the afore-mentioned names had either moved on or retired. Many more Islander fans would say that King's production was a by product of his linemates once the team acquired Pierre Turgeon and Steve Thomas. But being the sniper that he was someone had to finish and King owned a wicked shot which allowed him to do so. So while he may not be remembered as one of the greatest Islanders of all-time, when all was said and done King did finish his Islander career with 499 points which is good for 10th all-time in team history. A mark certainly to be respected.

The next three are debatable success stories. While not amounting to anything great, especially with the Islanders, all three of Brad Dalgarno, Brad Lauer, and Jeff Finley did go on to enjoy a certain level of success in the NHL. But more was certainly expected out of all three. Dalgarno flirted back and forth between the Islanders, the Islanders AHL affiliate in Springfield, and retirement for most of his career on Long Island until midway through the 1992-93 season which carried over into the 1993 playoff run to the Conference Finals. Lauer flirted with consistency, providing the Islanders with a jump every time he was called up, but not sustaining it for any extended period of time. Finley, once touted as a high scoring offensive defenseman, never could crack the lineup or stay away from injury. Much to his credit he moved on but has managed to stick around in the NHL as a serviceable d-man and has found a home with the St. Louis Blues since 1998.

Misses: Considering the fact that more was expected from each, all three of Dalgarno, Lauer and Finley could be deemed misses as well. The Islanders expected more from each when they were drafted. Beyond the third round nobody the Islanders selected really stood out and showed any promise following the draft. Some like Rod Dallman, Kurt Lackten and Hank Lammens became key members for the Springfield Indians, helping them to the Calder Cup Championship in 1990. One intriguing player though was ninth round draft pick Tony Grenier. A high scoring left winger, Grenier scored 62 goals and 120 points in 1984-85 to help the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL win the Memorial Cup for major junior hockey supremacy in 1985. After racking up a ton of points in his junior career Grenier, perhaps a defensive liability, did not turn pro. 

Turn Back the Clock: Hindsight is always 20/20. Honestly, it's hard to dispute the selection of Derek King. The Islanders wanted a high scoring left winger to provide some offense and that's eventually what they got. As far as Dalgarno, could the Islanders have made a better selection, especially at 6th overall? You can look at it two different ways. First you can analyze who else was available between the selection of Dalgarno and King, who was taken 13th overall. Winger Ulf Dahlen of Sweden was taken by the New York Rangers with the pick right after the Islanders selected Dalgarno. While not a very stellar player during his NHL career Dahlen did manage two 30 goal seasons with the Minnesota North Stars and five more 20 goal seasons during his NHL career that saw him record 480 career points. Other notables were Brent Fedyk to Detroit 8th overall, defenseman Dave Manson to Chicago 11th overall and Jose Charbonneau to Montreal 12th overall. But if you consider the entire draft there are a couple bigger names you would definitely take at the 6th overall selection if the 1985 draft was lived over. Center Joe Nieuwendyk was selected 27th overall by the Calgary Flames and goaltender Mike Richter was taken with the very next pick by the New York Rangers. Sean Burke, Calle Johansson, and future Islander Benoit Hogue all became worthy players. islesinfo.com choice: King and Nieuwendyk would have been a double dose of offensive domination for the Islanders entering the 1990's.