The New Jersey Devils are looking ahead to a very important time in their fate as a franchise. They need to use the 2020 NHL Draft to change their future.
The New Jersey Devils are waiting to see how the National Hockey League plans to resume business once this global COVID-19 pandemic is over. There was still a lot to be decided over the last three weeks of the season that can impact their future. They need to know the results of their own season along with the seasons of the Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks to see where they will be drafting in the 1st round this year.
Regardless of how it is decided, the Devils need to do well in this draft. There are a lot of very good players available to them in this draft. They already have Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes waiting to explode in the NHL but they need help. They need a coach and a decision on their general manager to help too but they could really use a good draft here.
If Vancouver is awarded a playoff berth when the season resumes, the Devils will have three first-round picks. They need to draft three players who have a good chance of being impact players in the NHL. Even if Vancouver gets to keep their pick, the Devils need to use their own and Arizona’s wisely. This draft is pivotal to this team’s rebuild taking the next step.
If they win the lottery, Alexis Lafreniere will be there waiting for them. Quinton Byfield, Lucas Raymond, Jamie Drysdale, Marco Rossi, and Tim Stutzle, among others, will be available to them in the top ten. They could even get two or three of these great prospects depending on where Arizona and Vancouver’s picks land. This is a very deep first round which is why the Devils need to be good with their picks.
Think back to that brilliant 2015 NHL Draft. The Devils took Pavel Zacha with the sixth pick of a draft that was so deep. Zacha isn’t a terrible player but so many players went after him and are significantly better. They would be in a much better spot if they had one of Mikko Rantanen, Brock Boeser, Zach Werenski, Mathew Barzal, or Thomas Chabot right now instead of Zacha. They need to make sure that doesn’t happen again in 2020.
The Devils hitting on two or three big prospects from this draft could be franchise-altering in a positive way. It is exciting to study and think about the potential but it is also a bit frightening to think about the negative impact missing on this draft could have. The Devils need to do their due diligence before they hit the stage.