New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils struck gold by winning the draft lottery on April 9th. It was yet another lucky day that allowed to Devils push this rebuild forward even more and now it appears they are getting a true gamechanger.
They selected Jack Hughes first overall and he is going to make an immediate impact. This is the type of offensive player that everyone expects to be a superstar. He will play in a 1-2 punch with Nico Hischier, who was also a number one overall pick for the Devils. This has a chance to be one of the better center combos in the league and that is how you win championships.
They selected Nikita Okhotyuk, Daniil Misyul, Graeme Clarke, Michael Vukojevic, Tyce Thompson, Case McCarthy, Cole Brady, Arseny Gritsyuk, Patrick Moynihan, and Nikola Pasic in the 2019 NHL Draft. These are all different level prospects obviously, but according to a lot of scouts, there could be some names here that do eventually play in the NHL.
Selecting Hughes wasn’t the only big move by the Devils over the weekend. They also traded Steven Santini, Jeremy Davies, and two 2nd-round picks for defenseman P.K. Subban. This is an incredible trade for the Devils and changes the outlook of not only their defense, but the team as a whole. The Subban trade, selecting the best player in the draft and having 10 other draft picks coming along with him implies that New Jersey had an awesome weekend.