The New Jersey Devils currently sit fourth to last in the NHL Standings. Even if they don’t get a top two pick in the NHL Draft, there’s still a franchise changing prospect available to them.
The New Jersey Devils are having a terrible season, but the light at the end of the tunnel will come April 9th when the NHL does it’s annual draft lottery. They will choose the team that gets the number-one overall pick in the NHL Draft. There are two prized prospects in this year’s draft. Jack Hughes is an American who can change the face of a franchise overnight. Kaapo Kakko is the Nico Hischier type in that he comes out of nowhere and is now in the conversation for the number-one overall pick.
Some Devils fans hope the team tanks so they can get a better shot at getting one of these two players once that draft lottery comes, however if they don’t get a top-two pick, there’s still plenty to be excited about in this year’s draft.
One player we should really look into is Lethbridge Hurricanes center Dylan Cozens. He’s been rocketing up draft boards, and now most mock drafts have him going fourth, which is where the Devils currently sit.
Cozens came into the season expecting to be a top-ten prospect, so his rise is not unprecedented. That’s a good sign, because watching a player go from 20 to top 5 might be a one-year fluke. However, Cozens just keeps getting better every season, and broke out this season.
He has 83 points in 66 games this season. He broke 30 goals and is helping every single one of his teammates. Honestly, if the Devils get the third-overall pick, they might still want to get Cozens.
They desperately need a second-line center. Cozens is 6’3, so he has a much bigger presence than Nico Hischier had as far as size coming out of Juniors.
He has an interesting story. This isn’t you typical Canadian boy. Cozens is from Yukon. It’s basically like finding a star basketball player in Montana. Only two other professional hockey players came from the Yukon. The only issue you may have is the cultural shock of going from small town to NHL in just a few years. Yes, he’s a star in the WHL, but star in Juniors and star on the big stage is completely different.
If the Devils draft Cozens, then there’s a chance he actually makes it to the NHL in year one. His ceiling it that high. The Devils could desperately use a young, number-two center to play behind Hischier for the next decade.
Even if he’s not ready to play next season, he’s still the right pick for Shero and Co. There’s just about everything in the prospect ranks right now. There are possible number-one defenders. There are possible top four defenders. There are top-six wingers. There are depth wingers and centers. The Devils even have depth at the goaltender position. They don’t have another player who could be a top-six center. There was hope for Pavel Zacha and Michael McLeod coming into the season, but they proved they are future third and fourth-line center.
Cozens could be the final piece to the prospect puzzle. Obviously, if the Devils pick first or second then Kaako and Hughes are much better picks, but for what it’s worth picking third or fourth could still yield an amazing prospect in Cozens.