What would it cost for the Devils to move up to draft Gavin McKenna?

On Tuesday night, the New Jersey Devils found out they did not get a chance to draft Ivan Stenberg or Gavin McKenna. Well, at least, not now. The Devils stayed at 12th overall in the NHL Draft Lottery, meaning they are in the range of Oscar Hemming and Daxon Rudolph, but what if new GM Sunny Mehta wants to make a jump into the top two or three?

If the Toronto Maple Leafs want Penn State star Gavin McKenna, there’s nothing the Devils can do about it. The Leafs won the lottery and got to keep their draft pick despite dreadful trades by previous GM Brad Treliving. After the excitement amongst the team and fanbase, there is no trade that gets the Devils first overall.

However, both second and third overall can be had. If the Leafs go after Ivar Stenberg, then it’s chaos on the board. This is where the Devils can pounce.

The approach for both the second and third-overall picks would look very different. Let’s start with the San Jose Sharks. 

The Devils are uniquely able to help the Sharks in their pursuit of contention. Like when the Sharks traded Timo Meier to the Devils, both teams can really help each other. 

Many, including Fansided’s Scott Rogust, have mocked the Sharks taking a defenseman at second overall. The top two players are McKenna and Stenberg, but the drop is expected to come after the Sharks. 

This is a move to get the best defender in the draft while also filling a need by taking Chase Reid. However, it doesn’t help the Sharks today.

San Jose has very few defensemen signed to play for them next season. The Devils have ownership of seven or eight NHL-level defensemen, depending on your assessment of Seamus Casey. Simon Nemec is a former second-overall pick, but the Devils could ironically move him to move back into second overall.

If Gavin McKenna falls past the first pick, the Devils can make a move for him

Unfortunately for them, Nemec alone isn’t worth that move. What if the Devils make a ridiculous offer to move up? How about: Dougie Hamilton, Simon Nemec, Anton Silayev, and their 2026 first-round pick for second overall. This gives the Sharks three defensemen who likely still line up when they expect to be contenders, and they still get a first-round pick this season. 

With the Vancouver Canucks, you need to stack the deck with draft picks. The Devils failed to pull the trigger on the Quinn Hughes trade, but Jim Rutherford at least knows what he likes about the Devils roster and prospect pool. Still, we think they want the picks, so Sunny Mehta can put his chips on the table and send the Canucks their 2026, 2027, and 2028 first-round picks for Gavin McKenna. 

That’s a HUGE risk, but the Florida Panthers were making smart risks with their draft picks the entire time he was there. If McKenna is even 80% of what he could become, nobody is going to miss those draft picks.

Of course, McKenna would have to fall for this to happen, but it’s not as impossible as it sounds like on paper. If the Leafs go Stenberg, the Devils have a shot at moving up, and Mehta should consider it. 

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