"They could trade up or down, so stay on your toes; where the Islanders pick in tonight's NHL draft, nobody knows.

Although they have the No. 5 overall pick, GM Garth Snow has had many discussions with other GMs pining for his coveted slot, so far all to no avail.

Snow also said he would be just as happy making the selection himself, as he's certain his team would get an impact player with that first-round selection.

"There's going to be different options available," Snow told The Post.

"But if we stay where we are, we feel we're going to get another key prospect, another quality player."

Snow said that most of the trade negotiations happen on the draft-room floor, so he and his staff were heading to Minnesota -- the draft is at the Wild's arena, the Xcel Energy Center -- expecting to pick in their current position.

While bringing a slew of potential draftees into Nassau Coliseum for workouts and interviews over the past couple of weeks, the team has done all the necessary scouting and has a good idea of their strategy heading in.

"Our staff is very bullish on one player," Snow said, then quickly adding, "or players.""