The New York Islanders opened their preseason slate with a shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. But eyes were on the two first-round picks playing defense for New York. Kashawn Aitcheson left the game with a knee injury , which has been deemed day-to-day. But the Islanders' first overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, was impressive, earning high praise from forward Mathew Barzal. Expand Tweet

“He looks great, obviously a great skater,” Barzal said. “It's crazy to think he's only 18 years old. Yeah, I don't know what the plan is. But he's gonna be one of, if not the, best defenseman in the league, I think, at some point. Just based off of his instincts right now, he's got it.” Article Continues Below

The Islanders won the draft lottery and took Schaefer with the top pick to solidif

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