Trade Two
There could be a world where the Calgary Flames just take a 1st-round pick for Gaudreau. If they want to go for a certain local free agent that happens to be from the Calgary area, they are probably going to want to trade away some salary and not take any back. Sending off Gaudreau for a first-round pick would be a great way to do that. The pick is going to be the 18th-overall pick from Arizona, which means they would have two picks very close to each other in the 1st round.
This draft is very deep. In the teens of the 1st round, teams could be getting players who one day make them so much better. Some people believe that picks 10-30 would all be high 1st-round picks in most years. They could draft one of the highly touted defensemen or one of the goal-scoring wingers to develop through time.
For the Devils, they would be getting Gaudreau for a pick that is worth a lot. 1st-round picks are very important, but they would be smart to let one go for Gaudreau. They also wouldn’t be losing anyone from their NHL roster. It makes it even easier knowing there are two other 1st-round picks that they have in this very deep draft.