We have picks today!
The Time: 12:00 PM ET
The Broadcast: TV — NHL Network, Sportsnet, TVA Sports, Online — ESPN+
The Location: The Internet? This is a “decentralized” NHL Draft, but it is officially hosted at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Per the release put out by the Devils, they will send a communications representative and a hockey operations representative to the draft, as dictated by the NHL.
The Devils’ Picks Tonight: The New Jersey Devils have the following picks:
- Round 2, 50th overall
- Round 2, 63rd overall (from Edmonton via Utah)
- Round 3, 90th overall (from Vegas)
- Round 4, 99th overall (from Nashville)
- Round 4, 114th overall
- Round 6, 161st overall
- Round 6, 178th overall
Will they make all of them? Let’s find out.
The AAtJ Draft Coverage: I wrote a lengthy piece on draft philosophy for the team this year, serving as a quasi-preview, while all 2025 NHL Prospect Profiles should be found here.
What to Expect Today: Last year, the New Jersey Devils swung two trades. The first was to trade John Marino to the Utah Hockey Club for the 49th draft pick and Edmonton’s second round pick this year, the former of which they used on Mikhail Yegorov. This also set them up for the acquisition of Brett Pesce in free agency. Later, they traded Akira Schmid and Alex Holtz to the Vegas Golden Knights for Paul cotter and a 2025 third round pick, which they will wield tonight.
Despite many predictions that the decentralized draft would make things go quicker while providing more trade action, the opposite seems to have occurred. Perhaps actually being in the same room helped facilitate those deals, since GMs could literally walk over to each other to talk about things. Alas, we will deal with the off-putting ESPN broadcast and the snail-worthy pace instead of seeing action on the floor. The Devils, of course, have moves they need to make, so I think we should see at least one today.
I, for one, am at the point where I would be thinking about trading up, if I were in the Devils’ shoes. Two borderline first round prospects profiled here — Blake Fiddler and Eric Nilson — are still on the board. It would certainly be nice to have another large right-handed defenseman in the system, especially if Tom Fitzgerald plans on moving any defensemen over the next year or two. Otherwise, Eric Nilson might be the third-line center the team needs, though it will take him a couple years to be ready for that role. We will see what the team does, and there are other good prospects still on the board.
The Rules: No streams! Otherwise, please keep your comments respectful, as usual. React to anything that happens during Day One of the Draft tonight, or any pertinent rumors. Thank you for following along here at All About the Jersey.