Options For New Jersey Devils In Late 1st Round Of NHL Draft

With the New Jersey Devils final two picks in the 1st round of the NHL Draft locked in at 18 and 20, now is a good time to look at the prospects who could be available at that point. There is a lot of talent at every position, so with things how they are now, the Devils can fill a lot of holes with some smart picks and of course a bit of luck. As noted in my first draft article, taking a forward is the smartest option with the Devils’ seventh-overall pick. With all the options later in the draft, there are options at just about every position.

The Defenders

Kaiden Guhle

Kaiden Guhle is a big hitter who can move the puck? Sign him up. With the Devils second pick dropping thanks to the Arizona Coyotes’ “success” in the play-in round, this is a pick to keep an eye on. Many Devils fans will be upset they are missing out on Jake Sanderson, but Guhle would fit what the Devils need going forward.

The Devils should not go into this draft looking to fill needs exclusively, but they are too soft and easy to play against. If they got a serviceable defender who can muck it up as well, fans should be thrilled. He seems more like a middle-pair defender and only moderate offense at the NHL level, but that’s more than enough to help and not what all defenders need to do. With 40 points in 63 games this season with the Prince Albert Raiders, he took a big step up from his previous seasons total of 17 and his goals went from 3 to 11.

Maybe he takes another big step next season and this is just a stepping stone to a big-time defender who excels at it all. At either pick, it wouldn’t be a reach at all to take him here. This would fill out the Devils prospect pool of defenders that has been improved over the past couple of seasons.

Braden Schneider

Another solid two-way defender who can hit and another player the Devils can’t go wrong with if they draft, Braden Schneider scored 42 points from the blueline in a shortened season of 60 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Smart pinches and crisp puck moving have us thinking he will be a top-four defenseman in the NHL. His frame at 6’2 and 210 pounds as a kid could be terrifying when he gets bigger and his main strength.

The Devils could absolutely go with two defenders with their picks. Both would give the Devils a solid core in a few years. Fans should be very excited if the Devils come out of the 1st round with both Guhle and Schneider. Thinking about a core on the back end with these two pieces means brighter days are ahead. We might not be getting Hall of Fame players, but having guys like this to add to Ty smith and Damon Severson who are ready, plus up and comers with a decent chance like Michael Vukojevic, Kevin Bahl, Reilly Walsh, and Nikita Okhotyuk. This is a competitive group for the future already and with a few hits here the Devils could legitimately go from a bottom 5 defensive team to one that can move the puck and punish teams for a decade.