There were quite a few trades that really had Devils fans scratching their heads, but one that fell under the radar was the trade with the Minnesota Wild that sent prospect Graeme Clarke for fellow prospect Adam Beckman. They are very different, as Clarke is a third-round pick who is punching above his weight class as long as he stays healthy. Beckman was once the Wild’s top prospect who has fallen off a cliff. After scoring 24 goals in the AHL two seasons ago, he dropped to 19 last season. He’s also had 23 games of NHL experience with zero goals. This could very well be a case of “needing a change of scenery,” but this is hard to quantify when it compares to other Devils’ prospects. That’s why he’s around the middle.
Cam Squires is one of those players who teams ignore in the draft, and most don’t understand why. The right wing had more than 60 points that season for the Cape Breton Eagles of the QMJHL. He seemed to know where there were high-quality chances and his game should translate to the next level. He was even better last season, putting up 76 points before signing with the Devils this offseason. Now, he will take a well-rounded offensive game to the Utica Comets, where he will try to show he’s a future NHLer. He has a chance to make it to the top-10 of this list by midseason.
This might look like a demotion, and technically Chase Stillman is lower on this list than in years past, but that's not to say anything about what he's shown so far. It actually feels like it has more to do with the path to the NHL. Don’t get us wrong, Stillman hasn’t been outstanding since he was surprisingly taken in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, but he has shown some skills that make sense at the NHL level. The issue is Stillman’s role is done better by young players already in the NHL. Newly-acquired forward Paul Cotter is like the rich man’s version of Stillman. Stillman still had 14 goals with the Utica Comets last season, and if he makes that north of 20 this season he might get his first NHL action as early as 2025.