Mar 3, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; The New Jersey Devils congratulate New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider (35) after their 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
With the New Jersey Devils looking like they won’t make the playoffs – well, you never know – the next big thing to happen this year will be the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Two years ago, GM Lou Lamoriello made a huge splash by trading the #9 overall pick to Vancouver for star goalie Cory Schneider. Last year the Devils were able to get out of their punishment for signing Ilya Kovalchuk and drafted John Quenneville 30th overall. What will they end up doing this year?
There’s a chance, if the Devils don’t make it to the postseason, that they can win the draft lottery and pick first overall. If they don’t make the playoffs or win the lottery, the Devils will probably be picking somewhere between seven and 14. That is still a very valuable pick and New Jersey desperately needs big time help at forward. One of our followers on Twitter came up with an interesting idea:
Hey @Pitchforkedpuck, I think "What player is worth the Devils first round pick?" would make a good article.
— Backhanded Devil (@BackhandedDevil) March 9, 2015
There are a few players around the league that could plausibly be worth the Devils trading away their lottery pick. Again, we’re trying to stay realistic here so there won’t be a “let’s trade it for Evgeni Malkin” idea thrown around. Each of our writers will choose a player and give their reason why he is worth trading, at the very least, our 2015 first round pick for.
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