Are the Devils Really Moving the Second Overall Pick?

Initially reported by Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman, the Devils are apparently open to moving their 2nd overall draft selection in this year's NHL Entry Draft. The Devils have found a home at the bottom of the NHL leaderboard, so naturally they will be open to anything that might improve their team. However, the notion that they would part with their top-draft pick grows increasingly unlikely.

Central Scouting's top 5 picks in the draft are:

Shane Wright
Juraj Slafkovsky
Logan Cooley
Simon Nemec
Joakim Kemell

With the Montreal Canadiens selecting first, it's all but a certainty they select the consensus #1 pick in Shane Wright. At #2 there's been debate; American C Logan Cooley vs. Czech LW Juraj Slafkovsky. After World Championships, Slafkovsky seriously amped his value. His 3g-6a-9p in eight games were good enough for 13th in the tournament & 1st for U20 skaters. He joins an elite list of skaters who have led U20 skaters in scoring at the tournament:

Seeing the prominence of Slafkovsky, it would be a mistake for New Jersey to make any rash decisions. Without a serious improvement to their roster, there is absolutely no reason to move their 2nd overall selection. Trade proposals submitted include Matthew Tkachuk's rights, Josh Anderson(???), among others. Short of a franchise-altering name coming back in return, moving the 2nd overall pick would be a mistake.

Matthew Tkachuk might be a starting point, however he still needs a contract for next season & since his Qualifying Offer is $9M, he will be a pricey addition. And the Devils appear committed to signing their core players to moderate deals. Nico Hischier, the team's Captain, signed a 7x$7.3M contract & Jack Hughes, budding superstar, signed an 8x$8M deal last summer. That might seem like a lot, but considering it's commonplace for teams to sign star players to contracts upwards of $10M+, it's clear the Devils are interested in following the Pittsburgh Penguins' model for success where everyone 'takes less' in the name of winning.

Now the Devils are far from being a winning club, but they have all the pieces to be a contender. Two star centers, one (maybe two star wingers), a star defenseman, and an absolutely loaded prospect pipeline. The one thing they need is a goaltender, but the jury is still out on Mackenzie Blackwood. He's showed a ton of promise in his career up until the last two seasons, in which he's battled a serious heel injury. So it remains to be seen what GM Tom Fitzgerald does about NJ's goaltending. However, moving the 2nd overall pick for anything less than an earth-shattering return would be a colossal mistake & is extremely unlikely to happen.

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