Islanders will pick fifth in 2010 draft

After winning the No. 1 pick in last year's NHL draft lottery show, the Islanders couldn't match that good luck last night during the NHL draft drawing in Toronto.

With the fifth-worst record in the NHL this season, the Islanders were assured of at least the No. 5 pick for the 2010 draft going in, and that's what they got coming out.

"We know we're going to have a good player," said Islanders general manager Garth Snow, who sent director of scouting Ken Morrow to represent the organization in Toronto.

"It's an exciting time to be an Islanders fan. It's a special time because of the young players on our team, the young players we have on Bridgeport and in the system. Obviously, this is going to be a big draft for us."

By virtue of their 26th-place finish this season, the Islanders had only an 8.1-percent chance of moving up to the No. 1 selection. The unlikely jump occurred in 2000, when the Islanders moved from fifth to first and selected goaltender Rick DiPietro.

All of the teams - Edmonton, Toronto, Florida, Columbus and the Islanders - retained their respective positions, giving the Oilers the No. 1 pick and a difficult choice between top-rated prospects Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. Boston has the second pick because of a trade with the Maple Leafs in the offseason.

Now the Islanders will have another chance to add to their very young core group that includes John Tavares, Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo.

"You could probably compare it to last year and even the year before," Snow said of this year's draft class. "It's a deep draft. We know we're going to get a great prospect and a good player."

After finishing dead last in 30th place last season, the Islanders won the top pick during the draft lottery and selected Tavares, who finished his rookie year with 24 goals and 30 assists.

Rangers will pick 10th. The Rangers retained the 10th pick in the entry draft, their highest selection since 2004, when with the sixth overall pick they drafted goaltender Al Montoya, now with the San Antonio Rampage, the AHL affiliate of the Coyotes. With last year's pick, No. 19 overall, the Rangers selected center Chris Kreider, who was on this year's NCAA championship Boston College team. The Rangers are believed to be interested in a scoring forward.