The New Jersey Devils are in an interesting moment in their franchise’s history. Right now, some of their biggest stars are either just entering their primes, or they aren’t there yet. They have four top-five picks between the ages of 20 and 25 years old. They also have Jesper Bratt (26 years old), Timo Meier (27 years old), and Dawson Mercer (22 years old) who are stars themselves and would absolutely go in the top 10 of a “redraft” if it were held today.
This gives the Devils an enviable position when it comes to its prospect pool. They can be patient with young players, letting them grow at their own pace. However, more often than not, it usually means the Devils trade once promising players for less than their true value. That’s what happened with players like Reilly Walsh and Tyce Thompson. The Devils didn’t want to wait to see what they would become, and they traded them for another prospect at a different position.
Before the Devils see their top prospects lose value, it might make sense to trade them for high-quality NFL help. They are in their Stanley Cup window, as they showed by trading for Jacob Markstrom. They want a fourth Stanley Cup in New Jersey, and these three prospects could be used as trade bait.
The New Jersey Devils could use these three prospects in future trades for help.
1. Chase Stillman
Chase Stillman is a first-round pick that surprised many when the Devils jumped for him in 2021. He was the 29th-overall pick that the Devils got in the Kyle Palmieri-Travis Zajac deal. The Devils already took Luke Hughes in that draft, so they felt they could take a chance with their next pick. It feels like a miss now, as most Devils fans were hoping to get Logan Stankoven, who somehow survived another 17 picks.
Stillman played his first season in Utica last year, putting up 14 goals and 24 points in 54 games. Honestly, it wasn’t bad for his first season in the pros. However, he probably isn’t necessary now that the Devils have Paul Cotter. Cotter is already the rich man’s version of Stillman, and he’s only 24 years old.
His first-round pick pedigree, along with his scoring prowess in the AHL, could lift Stillman’s value. Will that translate to the NHL? It’s hard to believe, but there is hope until he proves one way or another. That’s really all these prospects are: hope.