What If The Devils Keep Their First-Round Pick?
Though the Devils got their goalie earlier this month without utilizing their No. 10 overall pick in Friday’s NHL Draft as part of the trade consideration to Calgary for Jacob Markstrom, that doesn’t mean New Jersey General Manager Tom Fitzgerald will end up keeping it.
For rumors are awash that the pick is still very much available for the right piece. Could that piece be a minutes-eating defenseman? A top-line forward? Carolina is allegedly open for business, with one report specifically naming Martin Necas, a restricted free agent, as a Devils’ target.
Considering the cost—in both asking price from the Hurricanes and what Necas would want in a new contract (New Jersey, with its top-heavy cap sheet, can’t afford to give another wing Timo Meier money)—and concerns as to why, on a team noted for its all-out puck pressure/shooting mentality, he was one of Carolina’s worst-performing forwards in NaturalStatTrick.com metrics over the last two seasons, I’m hoping the Devils look elsewhere.
Ot they could just make the pick.
Ten seems to be the consensus number as to where pundits project the Draft to shift downward, so the Devils are in an intriguing zone. They should get a good prospect, though who that player ends up being varies widely.
Like any pro sports Draft, this is a crapshoot. I must disclaim that my own record on this front is spotty. In that vein, either of the two selections below would be satisfactory:
1) Konsta Helenius—Center
His scouting report would scream “Fitzgerald Dream Pick” if he had more size (he’s listed at 5-foot 11 and 180 pounds). Then again, if he were bigger, he’d probably be gone by No. 10. Still, Helenius is a 200-foot player known for his success coming out of puck battles and making winning plays. He earned ice time in Finland’s top league as a 16-year old in 2022-23 and has only elevated his game since. Analyzing scouting reports and video, he comes across as a mix of Michael McLeod (without the size and faceoff wizardry, though NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reported he posted a 50.2% winning percentage in the circles in 51 games last season) and fellow No. 91 Dawson Mercer (minus the periodic flashy plays). Though my guess is that he won’t be NHL ready for the coming season, the Devils need to fill the void left by McLeod’s January departure due to his ensuing arrest on sexual assault charges. Please, no more Tomas Nosek and Chris Tierney (both are unrestricted free agents) in the bottom six. Helenius fits the bill as the “hard to play against” but skilled centerman Fitzgerald covets. And for the opposing point of view…
2) Berkly Catton—Center
A Catton selection would represent a bit of redundancy in terms of both position and rush-oriented perimeter style of play. He’s ten pounds lighter than Helenius and the defensive side of his game, to put it kindly, needs work. But oh my, the skating and skill, like a poor man’s Jack Hughes. He just blew by his junior opponents with both speed and stickhandling, scoring 54 goals in 68 games this season. Catton also won 53.4% of his draws against older competition. I get that the Devils would have to worry about whether he can be taught to play without the puck and how he’ll hold up physically in the pros (like they do with Hughes), but I don’t see how they can pass him up if he’s on the board, even if his New Jersey destiny is to be a valuable trade asset.
Notes: There are often prospects who slip well below their mocked slots that I never include on these lists. In this case, if either of left-handed defensemen Sam Dickinson and Anton Silayev is on the board at 10, Fitzgerald would sprint to scoop him up. Wing Tij Iginla is similarly ranked in the top tier, but if the son of former Flames icon Jarome Iginla, who captained Calgary to a Stanley Cup Final, makes it past the Flames at No. 9, that’s a red flag. I also don’t trust two other risers (among pundits at least) in the Draft, wings Beckett Sennecke and Cole Eiserman. The revision to Sennecke’s lesser early evaluation was very recent, thanks to an outstanding second half and playoff performance at OHL Oshawa. Sometimes, such development and maturity is real, but scouts still noticed some “drifting” on the backcheck. As for Eiserman, he has the Alexander Holtz look of a one-trick pony—the elite shot. And we’ve seen what the Devils do with that.