Well, we finally made it. It is draft lottery day. Unfortunately, the New Jersey Devils are heavily involved again. They won it in 2017 and 2019, so luck has certainly been on their side. They would like to at least be lucky enough to be in the top four this year so they can grab another young kid to the mix. They have a young core building up right now and are still a few pieces away.
The New Jersey Devils would love to add something special from the 2021 NHL Draft.
Nico Hischier was the first-overall pick in 2017. Ever since that moment, building around him has been the main priority. He has developed into a very good two-way centerman that needs to add just a bit more offense to his game. As he continues to grow, he is going to be known as one of the best two-way centers in the league. They gave him the honor of captain this past season so you know they think he is special.
They drafted Ty Smith 17th overall in 2018 as it was the one time during this era that they weren’t a lottery team. It was also the best draft pick made by the franchise that wasn’t a number-one overall pick in a long time. He is becoming a very good young defenseman.
In 2019, when they won the lottery again, there was no decision involved as they selected Jack Hughes out of the United States National Development program. He is going to be an offensive superstar in short order. Combine that with the selection of Alex Holtz in 2020 and you have a nice little core developing. These are five prospects that could land with this core depending on how New Jersey does in the lottery: