New Jersey Devils: 5 Bold Offseason Predictions

Bold Prediction #5: Devils Make A 1st-Round Pick

Admittedly, this one is least likely, but why would Tom Fitzgerald even bring up the fact he could make a first-round pick this year? There has to be fire to go along with this smoke. Actually, it’s not even smoke. The general manager actually admitted it.

There are a few ways this could actually happen. This could involve a Meier or Bratt trade. Hopefully, that’s not what happens because that would make the current team much worse. The Devils are in their compete window. Those windows can close quickly.

Maybe Fitzgerald thinks he could find a way to trade up in the draft. That seems pretty unlikely since the Devils second-round pick is 58th overall. They also don’t have a third-round pick, so they don’t have the equity to move into the first round.

There could be some surprises here. The Devils have a large swath of great prospects. Maybe they move on from Alexander Holtz, thinking he doesn’t fit in with this team’s core. Maybe they move a player like Bahl along with that second-round pick. There are options there. This might seem unlikely, but the Devils have pulled the rabbit out of the hat before. Let’s watch as Fitzgerald does it again.