Things haven’t gone particularly well on the ice for the New Jersey Devils ever since they made that fun run to the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As a result, the recent drafts have shown to be extremely important. They already have a nice foundation building with players like Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Jesper Bratt amongst others but they need more. They have a lot of prospects in the system to be excited about but more are on the way.
The New Jersey Devils are going to make the 4th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
When the New Jersey Devils come up to pick at number four later this month, there are going to be a lot of intriguing options. We assume that they will land one of five players. Those five players are Owen Power, William Eklund, Matt Beniers, Luke Hughes, and Brandt Clarke. Three of those five will be off the board in any order leaving New Jersey to pick from two.
There are some ties to the team in that bunch. Of course, Luke Hughes is the younger brother of Jack Hughes who the Devils selected with the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Luke, unlike Jack, is a defenseman which would make him a good fit in the organization’s future plans.
Brandt Clarke is the younger brother of Graeme Clarke who is on the Binghamton Devils as New Jersey drafted him in the third round of the 2019 draft. Both of them could very well play for the Devils in short order if they decide to go the route of Brandt.
Eklund was a linemate of Devils prospect Alexander Holtz in Sweden. The two are apparently good friends which make things fun for them if their dream of making it to the NHL comes true. Based on some quotes that came from them on Tuesday, it sounds like more than one player wants New Jersey to take them.
Luke Hughes said he's spoken to the @NJDevils multiple times. "I've been to the rink. I know the franchise really well. I know Jack loves it in NJ. Really cool rink. Really cool fan base."
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) July 6, 2021
William Eklund on possibly playing with Devils prospect Alexander Holtz in the NHL: "He is a childhood friend. I’ve known him for a long time. It would be cool, but I don’t know actually. Every team would be cool. But of course playing with Alex is a dream."
— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) July 6, 2021
Hearing Luke Hughes and William Eklund talk highly about the New Jersey Devils organization are extremely nice to hear. There has been a lot of negativity around the team for a while now but things may start to turn around soon. If they make the right decision here in the draft, it could come sooner than you think.
It all depends on what the teams ahead of them do as well but it would be great to see them land someone who wants to be there. Neither of them would be with the Devils for the 2021-22 season but the years beyond that are what we’re thinking about.
One quote that deserves some extra attention is the one that Luke made about his brother Jack. He claims that his older brother loves it in New Jersey which is just excellent news. After hearing this, the Devils should try to extend him as soon as possible. He has a legit chance to be an NHL superstar if he keeps trending the way he’s been trending.
All of this hype around the draft is getting louder and louder with their media availability so it is really time to start thinking about it. If this team makes a great selection here in 2021, the full core of the future will really start to take shape soon.