He wasn’t even our pick to make. Going into the 2015 NHL draft the New York Islanders didn’t have a first round pick of their own. They lost it in a trade for Thomas Vanek from the Buffalo Sabres.
So to get their hands on one they sent Griffin Reinhart to the Edmonton Oilers for their first round pick (16th overall) and their second-round pick (33rd overall). The Islanders used that 16th overall to select Mathew Barzal from the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Think about that. Edmonton, and specifically Peter Chiarelli, gave up the chance to potentially have Connor McDavid and Mathew Barzal in the same draft class.