2025 nhl draft odds: who is favored to go first overall to the islanders?

_Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information._ For the first time in a

while, we have a genuine debate about who should go No. 1 overall at the NHL Entry Draft. And it’s not just because there isn’t a runaway No. 1 prospect in this year’s class, but also

because of which team owns the top pick at the draft, which is set to take place on June 27 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. The New York Islanders jumped 10 spots in the 2025 Draft

Lottery, cashing in on their 3.5 percent odds to land the No. 1 overall pick after finishing 23rd out of 32 teams during the 2024-25 season. It was a massive windfall for the Islanders, but

the timing couldn’t have been funkier. The Isles are still searching for a new general manager after the club let go of Lou Lamoriello following his seven-year stint on the Island. And then

there’s the James Hagens connection. EXPLORE MORE Considered the No. 1 overall prospect coming into the 2024-25 season, Hagens was passed by defenseman Matthew Schaefer on just about every

ranking by the time December rolled around. Hagens is still regarded as a top-three pick in this class by just about every prospect pundit, but his stock fell during a good-but-not-great

freshman season at Boston College. Despite being passed by Schaefer and Michael Misa in most mock drafts, there is still a chance that Hagens goes No. 1 overall to the Islanders. That’s

because Hagens, 18, is a native Long Islander and grew up an Islanders fan. ------------------------- BETTING ON THE NHL? ------------------------- So while it would make sense for just

about every other team in the NHL to just go with Schaefer, the consensus top prospect, with the No. 1 overall pick, the Isles have a decision to make. The bookmakers believe that the Isles,

who do have a big need for a top-end defenseman in their system, will likely go with Schaefer. The 17-year-old rearguard is -210 to go No. 1 overall, ahead of Hagens (+250) and Misa (+300).

If you convert those odds to implied probability, you get Schaefer at 67.7 percent, Hagens at 28.6 percent, and Misa at 25 percent. NHL DRAFT ODDS: WHO WILL GO NO. 1 OVERALL? Schaefer was

limited to just 17 games this season, but he was so impressive during that span and during international tournaments that he shot up the rankings and landed at the head of the table in

Central Scouting’s rankings. But the gap between Schaefer and Hagens (and Misa, for that matter) is perceived to be small enough that you can make a coherent argument that it makes sense for

the Isles to go with the local product and hope that the fanbase rallies around one of their own. And the oddsmakers are not counting out that scenario. Hagens would likely be a relative

long shot to go No. 1 overall if any other team landed in this spot, but he’s the second-favorite since the Isles are the current owners of the pick. And, since the Isles are without a

general manager, nobody has any idea what they’re thinking. Another interesting wrinkle to this whole song and dance is the fact that Hagens is a 15/1 outsider to go No. 2 overall, which

tells us that the San Jose Sharks have little to no interest in picking the Hauppauge native. 2025 NHL DRAFT ODDS: WHO WILL BE PICKED NO. 2 OVERALL? The most feasible scenario where Hagens

would go No. 2 overall would be if the Islanders and Sharks worked out a trade that saw San Jose jump to the front of the line to take Schaefer, allowing the Islanders to collect more assets

and then pick Hagens. That is unlikely to happen, which is why Hagens is sitting at 15/1 to go second. ------------------------- WHY TRUST NEW YORK POST BETTING Michael Leboff is a

long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long

shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.