Luck goes a long way in a rebuild, and whether the Devils sold their souls for good lottery fortune or not, the boost they got from it speeding their rebuild along is inarguable.
The Devils had luck on their side when they landed the top pick in 2017 and again in 2019 when they got to select Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes with the No. 1 picks. Those two have been the cornerstones of the team and have proven worthy of the top billing they received in their draft years.
But what’s more impressive about what New Jersey’s done is how well, in general, they drafted over the years, even if some of those players have gone elsewhere to bring in different players. Fabian Zetterlund, Jesper Boqvist, Yegor Sharangovich, Akira Schmid, Alexander Holtz, and Shakir Mukhamadullin have all been steady NHL players, allowing the Devils to add guys like Tyler Toffoli and Timo Meier.
But their drafts also netted them future core pieces like Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, as well as high-potential guys like Seamus Casey and Anton Silayev. Unfortunately, success has eluded New Jersey, and a big reason is Jack Hughes’s injury struggles over the years, as well as questionable goaltending.
Still, the drafting record is strong, and their high-end talent is outstanding. If the Devils could ever get out of their own way, they’d be going places other than purgatory in the playoff hunt.
