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New Jersey Devils Number One Pick Should Be Untouchable

By Nick Villano

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addresses the crowd before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addresses the crowd before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New Jersey Devils won the number one overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft in a lottery shocker. This stroke of luck should keep the pick in New Jersey, and no trade should be made.

New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero will definitely work the trade market this offseason. With a ton of cap space and, possibly even more important, space to take on a player to protect, the Devils could go into this offseason in a position of power.

The team has a ton of assets that could turn into players that help the team now. One of those assets is their first-round pick, which happens to be first overall.

Every phone call Shero makes will likely touch on the fact the Devils won the lottery, and that other team will ask if it is available in a trade. The answer, every single time, needs to be no.

Whether the Devils decide to choose Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier, both players can become franchise cornerstones. It doesn’t help that division rival Philadelphia gets the player the Devils pass on. While neither of those players are the caliber of Austin Matthews or Conor McDavid, they can both help the Devils now and for a very long time.

Obviously, the Devils could get a ton of value for the pick. More value than anyone else on the team right now, possibly outside of Taylor Hall. The pick could get them a very good defenseman, but will it be a cornerstone player? Unless the Ottawa Senators call offering Erik Karlsson, Shero should hang up the phone when the other team asks for the pick.

When it comes to trades, both teams want to make a deal they never regret. If the Devils ever offer the number one overall pick, it’s something they will always regret.

The Devils know how hard it is to obtain this particular pick. In over 35 years in New Jersey, this franchise never owned this particular pick until now.

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Any of the 10 other picks are up for grabs. The team has seven picks in the second, third and fourth rounds. Shero turned a second and third-round pick into Kyle Palmeiri. He turned a third into Beau Bennett. He knows how to work the trade market. Shero knows how important having the number one pick is. His first ever pick was second overall, which he chose Jordan Staal in 2006. This is only the second time he’s picked in the top five.

It’s true the Devils need a lot, and could make a big move sending the pick elsewhere. For the future of this franchise, that would be the worst possible move.

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