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The 32-in-32 Series is an annual event here at DobberProspects! Every day in August we will be bringing you a complete breakdown of a team’s draft, and insights into their off-season movements thus far. Following this up in September, we will dive into every team’s prospect depth chart with fantasy insights and implications for the upcoming seasons. Check back often, because we plan on filling your hockey withdrawal needs all off-season long!

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After a 2022-23 season in which the New Jersey Devils broke their single-season record for most wins, they found themselves outside of the playoffs with much work to do at the end of the 2023-24 season. With that in mind, GM Tom Fitzgerald was incredibly active in both the trade market and free agency, bolstering every part of the team without necessarily sacrificing a whole lot in return. Built on the backs of star forwards Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier, the Devils should be looking to be legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup this upcoming season.   

NHL Draft

Round One, 10th overall – Anton Silayev, D

Projected as a top-five lock, 6-7 defenseman Silayev slid down to the Devils’ draft position at 10th overall. The massive defenseman is admittedly rough around the edges, but is arguably the best skater in the entire draft across all positions and has NHL-ready size (and then some). His decision-making with and without the puck certainly needs work and he could use to improve his offensive toolkit, but he’s made himself a regular defenseman in the KHL at just 18 years old as a direct result of his physical maturity and skating ability. With a little marinating overseas and some development in other aspects of his game, Silayev could turn into a top-line caliber, shutdown defenseman with some limited offensive upside. He’ll never run a power play at the NHL level, but there’s a good chance that he ends up being a minute-munching defensive force that every Cup contender needs. 

Round Two, 49th overall – Mikhail Yegorov, G

After taking a year off from drafting goaltenders in 2023 and sending away Akira Schmid to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Devils unsurprisingly selected a goaltender with their second-round pick. Enter Mikhail Yegorov, one of the highest-ranked goaltenders in this year’s draft. First things first — he’s big. At 6-5, he was one of the largest goaltenders in the draft and at 188 pounds, he’s got a bit of room to fill out. He was ranked as the number one North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting, and for good reason. Outside of occasional positional blunders, there isn’t really much to complain about in his game. He’s extremely athletic, tracks pucks very well, has a stellar glove hand, and he simply doesn’t give up on a play. His skating is by and large his biggest issue, and when he finds himself flopping around, it might be difficult for him to redeem himself and his poor positioning as a byproduct of that. If he can work on that, there’s no reason to think that he won’t see NHL games in a couple of seasons.

Round Three, 85th overall – Kasper Pikkarainen, RW

Kasper Pikkarainen, son of once-Devil Ilkka Pikkaeainen, was the Devils’ first forward draftee in this draft. His best asset is his passing ability — he sees the ice well which, when in combination with his above-average hockey IQ, lends itself to finding available teammates with ease. His shot admittedly isn’t a terrible threat, but it isn’t detrimental to the point of taking away from his playmaking. He’s big, at 6-3 and 194 pounds, and isn’t afraid to use his frame to separate attackers from the puck in the neutral and defensive zones. His two-way play is mature for being just 17 years of age. He did spend a few games in Liiga, but couldn’t keep up with the pace (especially while playing barely over nine minutes per game). He’ll be looking to build on that Liiga experience and should be a fun project to monitor over the next few years.

Round Three, 91st overall – Herman Träff, RW

Just six picks after selecting Pikkarainen, the Devils chose to draft Herman Träff at 91st overall. The young Swede already stands at 6-3 and 216 pounds and has the raw tools to project well to the big leagues. He’s a smooth skater, using long, powerful strides to generate speed quickly. He sees the ice well and is a capable playmaker while also having a shot that keeps the goalies on their toes. I don’t think he’ll be anything more than a long-term third-line potential project, but if he does continue to develop in the SHL and fill out into even more of a physical force, there could be a spot as an energy line contributor. 

Round Five, 139th overall – Max Graham, C

Bar-none the most questionable pick in the Devils’ draft, Max Graham was taken as their first fifth-round selection. The 20-year-old double-overager has struggled to do much in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets outside of spending time in the penalty box — he took 135 PIM in 2023-24, un-shockingly leading the Rockets in that statistic. Watching his play, nothing really jumps out at you outside of his size and grittiness. He’s not a powerful or quick skater, he isn’t a great playmaker, he doesn’t have a very threatening shot, and his defensive work is lackluster. At 6-3 and over 200 pounds, his best asset is his size, and he’s certainly not afraid of throwing his body around. Still, that doesn’t necessarily project him as a future NHLer. 

Round Five, 146th overall – Veeti Louhivaara, G

In the fifth round, the Devils selected Veeti Louhivaara, their second goaltender of the draft. Unsurprisingly, considering the rest of their draft to this point, he’s gigantic — 6-4, 198 pounds as an 18-year-old. While the hulking Finnish netminder has the size and athletic ability to become an NHL-caliber goalie, there are legitimate concerns about a general lack of explosiveness that could prevent him from making a show-stopping, goal-robbing save in a dire situation. To compensate, he positions himself smartly to minimize the amount of times he’ll be forced into that position. He dominated the U18 SM-Sarja league last season but found himself struggling at times in the U20 league this year. Hopefully, with some marinating overseas, he’ll be able to fix those kinks in his game and become a worthwhile project.

Round Six, 171st overall – Matyas Melovsky, C

The Devils ended their draft by selecting Czechian center Matyas Melovsky, a double-overager who, at 6-2, was the smallest player they took. For a seventh-rounder, he’s quite polished, boasting a solid all-around game that is project able to an NHL bottom-six. He is an underrated playmaker who can contribute defensively as well while playing with a chip on his shoulder. His skating and shooting are his weakest assets, but his motor and playmaking ability nullify the bulk of the concerns there. He most recently spent time in the QMJHL playing for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and helping to lead Czechia to a bronze medal in the World Junior Championship.

Off-Season

Incoming:

• Brett Pesce
• Jacob Markstrom
• Brenden Dillon
• Paul Cotter
• Tomas Tatar
• Stefan Noesen
• Johnathan Kovacevic
• Adam Beckman

Outgoing:

• John Marino
• Kevin Bahl
• Kaapo Kahkonen
• Alexander Holtz
• Akira Schmid
• Chris Tierney
• Tomas Nosek
• Graeme Clarke

Re-Signings:

• Nolan Foote
• Nico Daws
• Santeri Hatakka
• Nick DeSimone
• Kurtis MacDermid
• Max Willman
• Brian Halonen

Pending RFAs:

• Dawson Mercer

Final Thoughts

Going into 2024-25, all eyes are on the Devils to bounce back from their abysmal, disappointing last season. Between the revamp between the pipes, additional defensive stalwarts, and pluses to their depth scoring, they should find themselves in a prime position to take the leap to true Stanley Cup contender. Hopefully, with the Metropolitan Division weakening otherwise, the Devils will find themselves as a leader in the East.