New Jersey Devils: Winning Draft Lottery Changes Everything
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils won the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night. The fact they are getting the best player in this year’s crop of prospect changes their decision making now and in the future.
We’re not even 24 hours since reality set in that the New Jersey Devils were going to be selecting first overall in the NHL Draft. The Devils won the Jack Hughes sweepstakes. This feeling of elation sticks with many of us for a long, long time. After a terrible six months, this moment makes it all worth it.
Last night, I appeared on the Let’s Go Devils Podcast to talk about the results of the NHL Draft Lottery. It’s safe to say I was elated. Take a listen to the segment below.
One thing stuck out to me from that interview. Host Sam Woo asked me a question about what this means for Cory Schneider. What? How does Jack Hughes impact Schneider’s job in net? Then, it hit me. This changes literally everything about the New Jersey Devils now and in the future.
In the podcast I jested that the Devils could call the Edmonton Oilers and offer Schneider to them for a pick. While that was in jest, the Devils might actually look to move him now. He’s never going to live up to his contract now, and he has some value again. With Mackenzie Blackwood playing like a starter, they could look to sign a guy like Robin Lehner in the offseason to replace Schneider, and go with Lehner and Blackwood as a one-two punch.
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This isn’t to say that we want that to happen, we’re just saying because the Devils are getting Jack Hughes, and because they’re looking to show Taylor Hall he can one day win a Stanley Cup here, this offseason could be the craziest of all time.
Honestly, with one or two free agent acquisitions this Devils team is now a true contender. This isn’t the team that faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs last year. That team was a true underdog. One that many thought didn’t deserve to share the ice with the Lightning.
Now, this Devils team is going to have a core of Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Ty Smith, Mackenzie Blackwood, Kyle Palmieri, Jesper Bratt and Damon Severson. Add on to that one of the superstars that are available in free agency, then another one available via trade, and this Devils team becomes scary overnight.
Like we said before, getting first overall changes everything. This puts the fast forward button on becoming contenders. Now, Ray Shero has a ton of work to do to make this an amazing team. He has three years before he has to pay Hughes big bucks, so from now until then he needs to pay big bucks to free agents. Use this money while you have it, and let’s go win a championship.