When you think about the top four prospects in the 2024 NHL Draft, the names Macklin Celebrini, Ivan Demidov, Artyom Levshunov, and Cayden Lindstrom come to mind. If there’s one player in this group I can see falling, it’s Cayden Lindstrom, something that occurred during my mock draft simulation the previous month when I took general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s role and picked up talent for the New Jersey Devils.
This could also be the case in reality, as high-potential prospects like Cole Eiserman could be the choice for the Columbus Blue Jackets while the number of talented blueliners could end up going to Montreal, Utah, the Ottawa Senators, Seattle Kraken, and the Calgary Flames. That would create a path for Cayden Lindstrom to fall to New Jersey, and it would be tough to see Fitzgerald passing on a player of his caliber.
At 6’4, 216 pounds, Lindstrom possesses better size than 99 percent of the 2024 class, and he has the productivity to match. He didn’t just easily supersede the point-per-game threshold; Lindstrom nearly had a goal per game in 2023-24, with 27 in 32 contests, while another 19 helpers gave him 46 points total.
A Cayden Lindstrom freefall to the New Jersey Devils would be epic
What makes Cayden Lindstrom so interesting is that he’s already got the strength and compete level you would expect out of a future power forward. I see him as one of those prospects who could be NHL-ready after another season at the junior level, and he’s perhaps one of those players who, in 2025-26, you keep with the big club long enough to get into a few games without burning a year of his entry-level deal and go from there.
If he performs well in that “trial” phase, keep him with the big club and let him team up with the star power already in Newark. This is one of a few scenarios if the Devils drafted him, and as you can see, there is far more potential flexibility with Lindstrom than there would be with most draft prospects falling to the 10th pick.
Do I see Lindstrom falling to No. 10 on June 28th? It’s honestly a stretch, but if the Blue Jackets are too enticed by Cole Eiserman’s potential or if they go defense and take someone like Zeev Buium, keep an eye on Lindstrom on draft day.
(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)