New Jersey Devils 1st Round Pick: Who's Worth Trading For?

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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.

Next: First Up: A Kid From NJ

Dec 20, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing James van Riemsdyk (21) with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers at Air Canada Centre. The Flyers beat the Maple Leafs 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

James van Riemsdyk

by David Berger

The 25-year-old winger from Middletown, New Jersey would be my first choice as a return for the Devils’ 2015 first-round pick. It would likely take a bit more than just that pick to pry James van Riemsdyk out of Toronto, but he would be well worth it. Last season, JVR posted 30 goals and 31 assists and this season he’s on pace to hit those numbers again. With the uncertainty of what’s going on in Toronto, it would make sense for the Devils to attempt to acquire van Riemsdyk.

It’s no secret that the Devils need good, young forwards especially after the departure of both Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk. What would be interesting about that is the fact that the Devils would be bringing JVR “home.” The Devils are pretty much a big joke when it comes to players wanting to leave them to go to their hometown/country team. First it was Parise, then Kovalchuk and then David Clarkson. It would be great to have someone actually reverse the roles for once – even if it was via trade.

Trading for James van Riemsdyk would be a great move because it would give the Devils a legitimate star on the rise to pair with Adam Henrique on the top line. New Jersey has very good depth forwards and a few top six forwards, but they’re short on true goal scorers. Mike Cammalleri is the only player currently on the team who puts the puck in the net on a consistent basis. Picking up JVR to go with Henrique, Cammalleri and hopefully another addition would make the Devils a scoring threat. They have defensive forwards, they have depth forwards, now they need top line forwards. JVR would be a great start.

Next: Another Winger From Toronto

Feb 20, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel (81) takes a 3rd period shot against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Phil Kessel

by Anthony Smith

Phil Kessel is an interesting case. He’s been all but driven out of Toronto, and his relationship with the Maple Leafs’ fan-base is so damaged at this point that it is hard to fathom it ever being mended, making him a logical trade candidate moving forward.

Regardless of the issues surrounding his presence in Toronto, Kessel is a proven NHL commodity. Heading into his age-28 season, he’s already posted five 30-goal seasons, which would be six if not for the 2012-13 lockout. He’s a three time all-star who has also posted two 80-point seasons during his eight-plus year career.

He’d be a fit for the New Jersey Devils because, obviously, the Devils need scoring help. Mike Cammalleri has been a great fit for the Devils and has showcased his scoring ability this season, but as I wrote earlier this season, Cammalleri can’t do it alone. He needs help, and Kessel would fill a void left behind by the departures of Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk over the past few seasons just like JVR would.

Kessel comes with a steep price tag, a front-loaded contract that carries a cap hit of $8 million over the next seven seasons. But with the contracts of Michael Ryder, Bryce Salvador, Martin Havlat, and of course, Marek Zidlicky and Jaromir Jagr coming off the books next season, New Jersey will have money to spend this summer. If the Maple Leafs continue to make Kessel available, as he reportedly was at the trade deadline, Lou Lamoriello should be in constant contact with Toronto general manager Dave Nonis. Either Kessel or JVR would be a great add for NJ – or perhaps both?

Next: You Know We Have To Explore Edmonton

Feb 24, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Edmonton Oilers forward Jordan Eberle (14) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Oilers defeated the Wild 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Eberle

by Thomas Formoso

Why take a risk on a draft pick when you can have someone as close to, if not already, a proven winger in Jordan Eberle?

I would trade away the New Jersey Devils’ first overall pick for Jordan Eberle in a heartbeat. You don’t have to look far to find multiple reasons, whether it be highlights or stats. 43, 76, 37, 65, 44. Those are the point totals in his NHL career to this point. Just a note, the 37 was in the lockout-shortened season and the 44 is for this season.

Here’s a scouting report from Elite Prospects:

A small sniping winger who relies on his smarts and hockey sense to score goals. Always seems to find the open ice around the net, and scores big goals. Isn’t the best skater, though, and lacks size. (EP 2009)

That was his scouting report in 2009. Since then, Eberle has evolved into a dangerous threat in front of goal, a phenomenal passer and some sick hockey sense. Eberle always finds himself in the perfect position. He can score goals and set other players up in golden opportunities. New Jersey could be getting the best of both worlds in Eberle. The Devils need a young forward with a tremendous amount of potential and Eberle definitely has that.

The asking price will certainly be high from Edmonton. They are going to want a young forward prospect (Boucher, Whitney, Matteau), this year’s first and a young defender (Gelinas, possibly even Larsson). Edmonton may even want more picks out of Eberle. This trade would largely become dependent on the asking price, but if you want to strip it down to this year’s first for conversation’s sake, I would gladly give it up for Eberle.

Why take another chance in a drafted forward under Lamoriello when you can already have a proven commodity?

Next: There's Another Winger In EDM As Well

Dec 14, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall (4) is followed behind the net by New York Rangers defensemen Dan Girardi (5) during the second period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Taylor Hall

by Frank Maduri

Taylor Hall was the first overall selection in the 2010 NHL Draft and is known for his speed as he finished second in the skills competition’s fastest skaterr early in his career at the 2011 All Star weekend. Hall is a key player for the Edmonton Oilers and at 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds is the ideal combination of size and speed for a left winger.

He is known for his ability to score goals at key points in games, has very good passing ability for a wing player, and he has a propensity to score on the power play unit when the team seems to really need a goal. In fact, he still finished among the leaders in power play goals even after shoulder surgery ended his second season in the league prematurely back in 2011-12.

Hall uses his blazing speed and excellent skating ability to stretch the defense of the opposition. In 2012-13 he finished 9^th in the NHL in goals scored, and his 34 assists tallied made him 8^th in the NHL in overall points. His production has tailed off this season with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 total points, after he had 80 points in the 2013-14 campaign. However that production drop off is due to injuries as he has played just one game since January 20^th and he was just placed on injured reserve for six weeks with a fractured ankle.

Taylor Hall has missed 60 games because of injuries in his five year career not including the games he will miss on this injured reserve stint. Despite the injuries he has been very productive as his career totals indicate: 255 points in 288 games to go along with 103 goals. He has excellent skills and is capable of being a real game changing player with dynamic speed and scoring capability. He’s definitely worth a first round pick.

Next: Rocky Mountain High, Colorado!

Ryan O’Reilly

by Nick Varney

When pondering whether or not to deal a first round draft pick there are a couple of factors that play a big part. The age, ability and contract of the potential incoming player and where in the draft order the pick could fall. There’s no doubt a player of Ryan O’Reilly‘s standard would instantly find themselves on New Jersey’s top line.

Here lie the issues surrounding any move an NHL club would make for the 39 point forward. He is headed toward UFA status in 2016 and we’ve been burned all too recently to contemplate the risk of that happening again. His current cap hit is $6M and he wants more. O’Reilly has a tendency of holding out when his contract is up and the next time is the first time he holds all the cards, the ball is in his court. It would take tremendous cojones to pull the trigger on a deal. But when taking into account his want away attitude toward the Avalanche and them not wanting him to leave for nothing a trade could be cheaper than say a trade for a guy like James van Riemsdyk or Nino Niederreiter.

Ryan O’Reilly is a 24-year-old with a very bright future. He only notched a mere 26 points in each of his rookie and sophomore seasons in Colorado and then over the last three and a half seasons has a 1.4 PPG average. In 2013-14 he enjoyed his most dominant season scoring 64 points in 80 games followed up with 6 points in the Avalanche’s seven game playoff elimination against the Minnesota Wild. At the same time that he finished as the team’s 3rd top point scorer behind Matt Duchene and captain Gabriel Landeskog, he finished with just two penalty minutes – the sole blemish on his record being that he played the puck with a broken stick.

Despite the risk involved in the potential of what would be given up to acquire a player of this caliber, I believe O’Reilly is exactly what this Devils team needs. He scores points, wins 52.9% of his faceoffs, doesn’t have knack for taking stupid penalties, and more importantly he is putting up these kind of numbers for a team he doesn’t want to play for. I’ll mention his age again, he’s only just turned 24. He could find a sense of renewal in Jersey. Along with Adam Henrique there would be potential for a great pair of top two centers; just so long he signs with the Devils before July 1st 2016.

Next: How About Moving Up In The Draft?

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A general view of the complete draft board after the completion of the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Connor McDavid

by Phil DeHaven

If I’m Lou Lamoriello and we don’t win the 2015 NHL Entry Draft Lottery to get the #1 pick, I’m closely watching who holds that top pick. While this may be a really big stretch, I wouldn’t be completely surprised if the Edmonton Oilers trade down from the #1 overall pick if they win the lottery. It would take a king’s ransom to trade up for the pick, but in my opinion the top prize of Connor McDavid is well worth it.

McDavid has the type of potential that doesn’t come along often and has drawn comparison to current NHL superstars like Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby. In case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard of him, here’s what Hockey’s Future had to say about his talent analysis:

McDavid is considered to be one of the best players available for the NHL Draft since Sidney Crosby was chosen first overall back in 2005. His skating, shot and hockey IQ are all at an advanced level, and he has the ability to make other players around him better. Although more noted for his offensive skills, McDavid can be used in any situation. He is certainly the most NHL-ready prospect from the 2015

McDavid is an absolute stud who is a point producing machine. In just over 40 games for the OHL’s Erie Otters this year he has produced 110 points (40 g, 70 a) and has a +/- of +50. The reason I believe the Oilers could possibly move out of the top pick in the draft is because they could get a hefty return in a trade for the opportunity to draft McDavid which could help them get out of the basement of the league. I imagine it would cost the Devils at least two first round picks (2015 & 2016), goaltender Keith Kinkaid, defenseman Eric Gelinas and a prospect (Stefan Matteau, Reid Boucher, Joe Whitney, etc.). The cost would certainly be high, but I wouldn’t mind having a potential superstar to build around in McDavid who could put Devils hockey back into the spotlight.

Next: Who Do You Want As Head Coach Next Season?

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