Despite Uncertainty At Top Of NHL Draft, Devils’ Plan Should Be Simple
He was exactly what the team needed. A big (6-foot 3) power wing who as a 17-year old competed against pros in a top European league and excelled in international tournaments. His selection with the No. 2 overall pick in the NHL Draft was a no-brainer.
Though his story may be far from written, however, if a 2019 re-draft were possible, it’s highly unlikely that the Rangers would reprise taking Kaapo Kakko, who was a healthy scratch for New York’s Game 6 elimination loss against Tampa Bay, at No. 2.
As the Devils wrap up their preparations for Thursday’s 2022 Draft also holding the No. 2 overall pick, there is a good chance that they will end up with a similar version of Kakko in 6-foot 4 wing Juraj Slafkovsky of Slovakia.
And even if he too flops in his early development, it would still be the right call.
In his Wednesday press conference, New Jersey General Manager Tom Fitzgerald called this “a unique Draft” because of the uncertainty at the top, saying he has absolutely no clue as to which prospect Montreal will select with the first pick. Rumors are flying about what the Devils may do next—with their ample salary cap space, they are not constrained from using the pick to take on the right high-priced established player.
Or they could make the pick to continue building their talented young core. In fact, in such a case, a GM should just K-I-S-S—keep it simple, stupid.
At least Fitzgerald said he understood that such a prime asset won’t be dealt unless he receives a transformational player with term in his contract (Take that, all those who speculated that the Devils would get suckered into forking over the pick to acquire a less-stellar contributor like Vancouver’s J.T. Miller). Also, there are some who believe Fitzgerald will get cute and reach for a lower-rated player like one of the two European defensemen (Simon Nemec and David Jiricek)—bad idea when you could trade down.
Like Kakko did, Slafkovsky just happens to fit perfectly into the No. 2 hole. To be fair, their respective scouting reports upon entry don’t exactly mirror each other, with Kakko deemed a superior skater with the potential to play center at the NHL level. Still, there’s a reason Slafkovsky was also the consensus top European prospect, including the ranking from NHL Central Scouting, despite mediocre production (5 goals and 5 assists in 31 games) last season at TPS Turku, the same Finnish Elite team where Kakko excelled (22 goals and 16 assists in 45 games) in 2018-19. He’s not going to win many races from a standing start, but Slafkovsky’s other hockey skills are considered elite and he’s adept at using his size to win puck battles. With his stickhandling and reach, he can create scoring chances by simply driving to the net off the walls. One scout compared him to Jaromir Jagr in that respect.
The Devils, who are rather Lilliputian up front, have an urgent need for a player with such a toolkit. The team was so lacking in players with a net-front presence after Miles Wood was lost for the season with a hip injury that they resorted to playing fourth-line winger Nathan Bastian on the power play just to get a big body in front of opposing goalies. Not that Bastian fared terribly, but with Slafkovsky, New Jersey would then have a player with actual scoring touch in that role.
Now, there is a possibility that Montreal screws up New Jersey’s best laid plans by bagging Slafkovsky first, as The Athletic’s Corey Pronman predicts. If that turns out to be the case, Fitzgerald again shouldn’t overthink things and simply pivot to center Shane Wright, who most mocks have ranked as the top pick. Wright hasn’t awed scouts with his highlights, but he’s considered to have a lower floor than even Slafkovsky due to his NHL-ready two-way game and compete level.
I get that New Jersey is settled up the middle with first-round picks Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer, but good process demands that you take the next best player in such a situation, regardless of position. You never know what the future holds--someone, maybe Hughes, who could become the Devils version of Chicago superstar Patrick Kane (on the ice, that is), could move to wing or be used in a blockbuster trade.
An argument could be made for elevating Logan Cooley, another center who happens to share Hughes’ background at the U.S. National team Development Program and propensity for playing at a high tempo. However, at 5-foot 10, Cooley is similarly undersized, and the Devils have to start thinking like they’re putting together a team that can one day soon (don’t laugh) last four grueling playoff rounds. Wright is the better fit.
With rare exceptions, all drafts are crapshoots. Just because Kakko hasn’t panned out yet shouldn’t dissuade Fitzgerald from rolling the dice on Slafkovsky if he’s there at No. 2 on Thursday night.