5 Worst New Jersey Devils 1st-Round Draft Picks Of All Time
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils don’t have the best track record in the 1st round.
New Jersey Devils fans are not happy with how the team has drafted in the 1st round of the NHL Draft. Looking at the current roster, the only 1st-round picks that are in the NHL were picked first overall. The others include Travis Zajac (happened more than a decade ago) and Pavel Zacha (we all know how that’s turning out).
So, the Devils current roster has just four of their own 1st-round picks on the roster. That wouldn’t be a problem, but when looking at all their other 1st-round picks, only one is really about to make an impact with the NHL team. Ty Smith is the Devils 1st-round pick in 2018, and he’s close to being a really impressive defenseman.
Yet, despite the issues the Devils have drafting in the 1st round as of late, these mistakes are nowhere close to some of the worst picks they’ve ever made. Compared to more than half the picks, Pavel Zacha is an amazing pick. We know he’s not, but he’s definitely nowhere near the worst 1st-round picks in New Jersey Devils history.
Just think about this, from 1982 to 2012, the Devils had 10 1st-round picks that didn’t even make it in the league to play in 100 games. That doesn’t even include the years where the Devils didn’t have a 1st-round pick. Of course, there are plenty of gems that led to what became the Devils dynasty, but we’ve talked about that already. Now it’s time to look back at the Devils’ mistakes.
Honorable Mention:
Rocky Trottier – 8th overall in 1982 NHL Draft
Just a quick note on the Devils first-ever NHL Draft pick. A quick way to beat Devils fans on trivia is to ask them who the team’s first pick was after moving from Colorado. Most will tell you it’s Ken Daneyko, but he was taken 10 picks after Rocky Trottier.
Looking back at this Rich Chere piece from 2013, we see that Trottier was the brother of NHL Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier. It didn’t help that scouts with the Devils later admitted they never even saw the younger Trottier play before drafting him. That’s not the best strategy. He ended up playing just 38 games in the NHL and 226 games in the American Hockey League.
It’s clear the Devils made a major mistake with the pick, and you can trace back the mistakes to those in charge. The logic behind the pick wasn’t sound, and it seems like they misplaced him on the team the second they took him. He still wasn’t one of the Devils worst ever (honestly, he could be sixth), but no list of bad draft picks could be complete without Rocky Trottier.