5. 2025 second-round picks
The New Jersey Devils have no first-round picks, but they do have three second-round picks. They’ve made a few different trades that got them those picks. They have their own pick, which will probably be the most valuable of the three at this point. Yes, there are conditions on it from the Jake Allen trade, but we see no world where the Devils play Allen more than 40 games this season, especially with Jacob Markstrom back from injury.
The Devils have the Winnipeg Jets’ second-round pick that they got from the Tyler Toffoli trade last season. It was an underwhelming return for Toffoli, but hopefully, the Devils can use the same tactic that was used on them. If more and more buyers get the player they want, then the prices will plummet.
John Marino got the Devils their other second-round pick. They got two seconds for the right-handed defenseman. The first one was used to get goaltender Mikhail Yegorov, who looks like a superstar. This one can be used to get another superstar.
The second round of the draft is a huge swing. You could come out with Jason Robertson or Jordan Kyrou. On the other hand, there are way more examples of Pascal Laberge or Chad Krys who never make the NHL. The Devils should be moving these picks for players, especially as the deadline clicks down to zero.