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Nico Hischier

Poll: Has Kaapo Kakko Surpassed Jack Hughes For The No. 1 Pick?

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Just a few weeks ago, it seemed all but settled that the New Jersey Devils intended to take Jack Hughes with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2019 NHL Entry Draft as the team pictured a combination of Hughes and Nico Hischier each centering their first and second lines.

However, after an impressive performance in his first two games for Finland, Kaapo Kakko, the consensus second-overall pick, looks to be pushing for the chance to be the first-overall pick instead. The 18-year-old Kakko scored two goals Friday against Canada to garner quite a bit of attention and then added a hat trick Saturday against Slovakia to post five goals so far. And the tournament has just started. All this is after Kakko posted 22 goals in the Liiga as a 17-year-old for most of the season. The possibility of a first line of Hischier, Taylor Hall and Kakko could develop into one of the best in the NHL down the road.

Hughes, on the other hand has been solid. He is also playing at the World Championships for the United States, but hasn’t established himself in the same way that Kakko has. Regardless, most draft experts still have Hughes, the playmaking center, at the top of draft boards and most people still have Hughes going to New Jersey with the Rangers happily taking whichever player is remaining.

However, Saturday’s performance has received quite a bit of attention, with many suddenly suggesting that Kakko should be the first pick in the NHL Draft. However, should New Jersey take Kakko at No. 1?

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Snapshots: Svechnikov, Hischier, Lack

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It appears as though the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t going to rush back one of their young stars, as head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters, including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. that Andrei Svechnikov is “doubtful” for tomorrow’s game. The Hurricanes are on the brink of elimination, but with Svechnikov such an integral part of their future and dealing with such a serious injury, the team simply can’t push him back too fast. With the Washington Capitals losing T.J. Oshie for the rest of the series (if not the playoffs), both teams will be short-handed in game six.

  • While Switzerland isn’t a traditional hockey powerhouse, they have performed as well as anyone at recent international events. The Swiss are coming off a silver medal finish at last season’s IIHF World Championship, and will add a top name to the squad for this season. The New Jersey Devils today announced that Nico Hischier will be suiting up for his country in next month’s tournament, adding a dangerous offensive player to a group that is always extremely disciplined in their own end.
  • One of Hischier’s former Devils teammates may be leaving the NHL. Swedish news source Hockeypuls reports that veteran goaltender Eddie Lack is in talks to return to his native Sweden to play for Leksands IF of the SHL. The 31-year-old is an impending free agent who did not make an NHL appearance this season and was limited by injuries to just six AHL starts with pedestrian results. While Lack has played in close to 150 NHL games, he has not been a regular contributor for two years and has not put up standout numbers for another two years before that. It’s time for Lack to move on with his career, and Leksands is reportedly excited to bring him in. The team was just promoted back to the SHL and acquiring an experience netminder could help them avoid being relegated right back to the Allsvenskan. Lack played for the organization for three years prior to jumping to North America and would be welcomed back with open arms.

2019 NHL Draft Lottery Results

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The ping pong balls have been drawn and the first 15 picks of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft are set. The league conducted its annual Draft Lottery tonight and the big winners were the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks. The Devils, with an 11.5% chance of winning the No. 1 overall selection, did just that and astoundingly will have their pick of the class for the second time in three years. New Jersey won the draft lottery in 2017 and selected Nico Hischier and will have the chance to add another elite talent this year. This continues the almost comical lottery luck that has followed Taylor Hall in his career, moving from Edmonton to New Jersey. The Rangers held a 7.8% chance of moving up to the second overall pick and in this specific draft class were very lucky as well, as their consolation prize will be the second of two elite players at the top of the draft board. This will also be the first time in the modern draft era that New York selects within the first three picks. The Blackhawks may have a more difficult choice facing them at No. 3, but aren’t complaining after jumping from No. 12 into the top three, a move that had just a 3% chance of happening. Chicago has been a dynastic franchise this decade and will look to return to greatness by adding one of the draft’s top talents. Altogether, these three teams all moving up in this order was a result that had just a 0.027% chance of occurring.

Following the lottery results, the odds for which were set by the final league standings for non-playoff teams, the first half of the first round will play out as follows:

  1. New Jersey Devils
  2. New York Rangers
  3. Chicago Blackhawks
  4. Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa Senators)
  5. Los Angeles Kings
  6. Detroit Red Wings
  7. Buffalo Sabres
  8. Edmonton Oilers
  9. Anaheim Ducks
  10. Vancouver Canucks
  11. Philadelphia Flyers
  12. Minnesota Wild
  13. Florida Panthers
  14. Arizona Coyotes
  15. Montreal Canadiens

The biggest loser of the night has to be the Colorado Avalanche, who fall out of the top three spots despite having a 49.4% chance of winning at least one of the those picks. This is the second time in just three years that Colorado has entered the lottery with the best odds at No. 1, only see three teams win the lottery and pass them up. In 2017, it was again the Devils who stole their top pick. After swindling the Ottawa Senators, it seemed the Avs were destined to cash in, but instead end up with the worst-case scenario. The Los Angeles Kings also have to be unhappy with the results, as the team slides from their second-to-last finish to the fifth overall pick. The Kings desperately could have used an injection of elite young talent next season and may not end up with an immediate contributor at No. 5. While they didn’t have the best of odds, the Vancouver Canucks are undoubtedly still disappointed in missing out on an opportunity to pair Jack Hughes with older brother Quinn Hughes, the team’s first-round pick in 2018 who already made a splash in his first few pro games down the stretch, or to at least make a top-three selection in front of the home crowd.

The younger Hughes, who was actually in attendance at tonight’s lottery event, has of course long been considered the likely top pick this spring and should start getting used to the idea of playing in New Jersey. The U.S. National Team center is considered a high-end play-maker already and turned down a scholarship to the University of Michigan earlier this season, knowing that he could be an impact player immediately in the NHL. As for the fit with the Devils, Hischier has already climbed atop the depth chart at center, but New Jersey will soon be able to boast amazing youth and depth down the middle with the addition of Hughes. Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko has pressured Hughes to be the top pick this year, but many still see him as a close second. The Rangers won’t mind, as Kakko is an extraordinary offensive talent who will score goals and throw his body around right away in the NHL. Kakko could become a major star in the New York market with his flashy goal-scoring ability and will certainly have the opportunity to play a major role right away. At third overall, there are many options for the Blackhawks, but the early expectation based on organizational depth would be a skilled forward like Vasili Podkolzin or Alex Turcotte. Chicago already has several promising young defensemen in the pipeline and can now add an elite forward to their growing young core of Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, and Brendan Perlini. Now relegated to the No. 4 pick, the Avalanche will still undoubtedly get a strong player, just as they did two years ago with Cale Makar, if not an immediate contributor in the top remaining prospect on their board. A player like big Canadian center Dylan Cozens would fit in nicely with what Colorado is building.

Now that the order is set, the next step is the draft itself. Everyone may have their projections, but only the day of will reveal the actual futures of these teams and players. This year’s draft is set to take place in Vancouver beginning on June 21st, a day that New Jersey, New York, and Chicago are now much more excited for. Stay tuned.

Metropolitan Notes: Yzerman, Rangers, Penguins, Devils

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The announcement yesterday that long-time New York Rangers president Glen Sather would be stepping down from his hockey operations role has opened up a vacancy that will be highly valued by many. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that former Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman could be one of a number of experienced players or executives with their eye on the job. Yzerman notably left his post as Tampa’s GM prior to this season and many have speculated that he would be moving on to a new team and new title this off-season. Much of that speculation has centered around his former club, the Detroit Red Wings, but Brooks believes the top job in New York would also be a desirable destination. While Brooks cites several sources, he also stops short of confirming Yzerman’s interest in the job, saying that he simply “is amenable to being wooed” and would not “necessarily accept an offer if one were to be presented.” Nevertheless, the prospect of Yzerman joining the rebuilding Rangers, who are both a popular free agent destination and a well-stocked farm system, is intriguing. Yzerman has a track record of success with the Lightning and Team Canada and could be a major asset in turning the Rangers around in short order.

  • Brooks also names current Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson as a candidate to make a lateral move over to the division rival Rangers. In fact, Brooks names Davidson and Yzerman as the two favorites to replace Sather at this point. Other possible candidates include Rangers legend and Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, another long-time Ranger and current radio analyst Dave Maloney, and the recently retired Brad Richards. Brooks believes that the Rangers will work quickly to name a new president, citing Sather himself as saying the team hopes to make the hire by at least the start of free agency, if not by the NHL Entry Draft.
  • Two exciting Pittsburgh Penguins prospects are getting a taste of the pro game for the remainder of the season. The AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced that forward Jordy Bellerive and defenseman Calen Addison have been signed to amateur tryout offers and have joined the team. The Lethbridge Hurricanes teammates saw their junior season end in the first round of the WHL playoffs, but are now on to a new challenge. Bellerive, 19, was undrafted but signed as free agent with the Penguins ahead of the 2017-18 season. He has since posted 175 points in 139 games over back-to-back tremendous seasons. The Lethbridge captain is arguably the Penguins’ top forward prospect and the team will be interested to see how he looks in the minors. Meanwhile, Addison may be Pittsburgh’s top defense prospect. The small, but speedy blue liner just completed his second season of near point-per-game production and is developing into the type of puck-moving defenseman that is re-shaping the way the NHL is played. A second-round pick last year, the Penguins spent considerable draft capital on Addison, but have to be happy with his consistent offensive play and the growth of his two-way game.
  • Fans of the New Jersey Devils will be fans of the Los Angeles Kings for the final two days of the regular season. While the Ottawa Senators (aka the Colorado Avalanche) have locked up the best odds in the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery, the No. 2 spot is still up for grabs and only the Devils and Kings can claim it. New Jersey, at 70 points with one game remaining, is currently in the third spot, but L.A. has 69 points and two games remaining. Just a single point out of four could be enough to give the Devils the second-best odds at winning the first overall pick. The difference in odds between second place and third place is only 2%, but this year in particular the No. 2 spot has added value. The presumptive top two picks in the upcoming draft, forwards Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, are in a tier of their own. If the lottery yields results matching the final leagues standings, as is statistically the most likely outcome, there is a major difference between drafting second overall versus third. The Devils could move up into one of those top two spots regardless of their finish, but have the best chances with a Kings win on Friday or Saturday as well as their own loss in the season finale. New Jersey just won the draft lottery in 2017, moving from No. 5 to No. 1 and selection Nico Hischier helped fuel the team to a playoff appearance last year. Another elite young talent to pair with Hischier and a healthy Taylor Hall could again make the 2019-20 season a “worst-to-first” scenario for the Devils.

2019 NHL Draft Lottery Date And Odds Revealed

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The date of the NHL Draft Lottery, what fans of the 15 teams who don’t make the playoffs wait for, has been announced and those fans won’t have to wait very long this season. The NHL has revealed that the lottery will be held on Tuesday, April 9th this season. The lottery has typically taken place much later in the month, but instead will come just three days after the end of the regular season this year.

As usual, the league notes that the lottery will take place in Toronto and will be nationally televised by NBC Sports, Sportsnet, and TVA. As opposed to last year, when the lottery took place over two separate sessions during playoff game intermissions, the event will return to being an independent hour-long show, beginning at 8pm ET.

As for the lottery odds, the league has opted not to change the odds that they used for last season’s draft lottery. The odds have frequently changed from year-to-year in the past, sometimes as a reaction to the results of the draw or, in last year’s case, to accommodate the addition of an added lottery team. However, after a draw last season that saw both the team with the worst record – the Buffalo Sabres – hold on to the top pick, as well as an exciting leap up the board by the Carolina Hurricanes, it seems the NHL is content to stick with it’s current format. Below are the odds at winning the first overall pick for each of the final spots in the league standings:

31st: 18.5%
30th: 13.5%
29th: 11.5%
28th: 9.5%
27th: 8.5%
26th: 7.5%
25th: 6.5%
24th: 6.0%
23rd: 5.0%
22nd: 3.5%
21st: 3.0%
20th: 2.5%
19th: 2.0%
18th: 1.5%
17th: 1.0%

Each team’s odds at the No. 2 and No. 3 pick increase marginally after the first ping pong ball is selected. To explore these odds further or to run some simulations, check out this Lottery Simulator from Tankathon.com. As for draft lottery story lines to keep an eye on, the Colorado Avalanche continue to be the team to watch. As holder’s of the Ottawa Senators’ first-round pick, the Avs are likely to have the best odds at picking first. However, they themselves may also be a lottery team, which would only further increase their odds at the top pick and may even land them two top-four picks in the coming draft. The specific player “won” by the lottery winner is also becoming a more intriguing discussion; initially believed to be USNTDP standout center Jack Hughes beyond a doubt, there are now some rumblings that Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko could be the preference instead, mirroring the Nico Hischier–Nolan Patrick debate from two years ago. Only the team whose ping pong ball is lucky on April 9th will have to make that call, but it’s a tough decision that any club would gladly take. 

Depleted Devils Missing Several Players

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The New Jersey Devils have lost four straight games and are firmly positioned at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. That lack of success has only been furthered by injury lately, as the team is missing a huge chunk of their regular skaters. Team reporter Amanda Stein details all those who are missing practice today as the team prepares for their trip to Washington. Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Miles Wood, Kevin Rooney, Nathan Bastian, Sami Vatanen, Pavel Zacha, Will Butcher and Mirco Mueller are all absent. John Quenneville and Kyle Palmieri who have missed games recently due to injury both took part.

The Devils will take on the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers in a back-to-back situation over the next two days, and very well could find themselves slipping even further down the standings over the next month. With so many injuries and other key players shipped out at the deadline, it appears as though New Jersey might have another good shot at the draft lottery this season. They are currently ahead of just Ottawa, Detroit and Los Angeles in the “Lose for Hughes” race.

Hall’s absence is the most notable obviously, as the reigning Hart Trophy winner continues his rehab from minor knee surgery. With just a single season left on his current contract, many have wondered about Hall’s future in New Jersey. GM Ray Shero unequivocally told Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) that he did not consider trading his offensive star at the deadline, and that he will approach Hall this summer to try and work out a contract extension.

Metropolitan Notes: Dal Colle, Brassard, Hischier, Rask, Murphy

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When the New York Islanders recalled 2014 fifth-overall pick Michael Dal Colle from Bridgeport, many felt the team was just rewarding him for improved recent play with the AHL squad, but the recall would likely result in a few trips to the press box and an eventual return to the Sound Tigers.

However, Andrew Gross of Newsday writes that head coach Barry Trotz made this opportunity sound different as he hinted that Dal Colle may get an opportunity to see some game action on Sunday.

“Good chance,” Trotz said when asked whether Dal Colle would be in Sunday’s lineup. “I’m going to let him play a little bit and try to find his game. Maybe he has his game and he’s great tomorrow and I don’t have to tell him anything other than, ‘Just keep going, kid.’ I want to see how he plays.”

Dal Colle has been much more impressive this year after tallying just seven goals in 60 games with Bridgeport last season. He’s equalled those goal totals already with seven goals and 14 points in 14 games. Of course, Dal Colle’s opportunities may not last long as Gross reports that Matt Martin is close to being activated off the injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins will get back a big name and just in time as the struggling Penguins will get Derick Brassard back from a lower-body injury after missing the past nine games, according to TribLive’s Jonathan Bombulie. Pittsburgh has won just two games in that span. The 31-year-old had a goal and five points in eight games before the injury. The center will be immediately placed on the team’s second line in between Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel. “I’m just going to try to skate and keep everything simple and give the puck to Phil as much as I can,” Brassard said after morning skate.
  • The New Jersey Devils have high hopes that they may get back their top center Nico Hischier from injury after he has sat out for three straight games with an undisclosed injury. NHL.com’s Amanda Stein reports that Hischier intends to travel with the team on their one-game road trip to Carolina, suggesting he could be ready to play for that game. The team misses his offense after posting three goals and 12 points in 15 games.
  • Chip Alexander of the News & Observer writes that Carolina Hurricanes winger Victor Rask, who underwent surgery on Sept. 13 after slicing his hand while cutting up sweet potatoes in his kitchen, practiced with the team on Friday, but has not been cleared for contact yet. Regardless, that’s good news for a struggling Hurricanes’ team that could use some offensive help. Rask scored 14 goals last season.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Powers writes that the Chicago Blackhawks will continue to be without defenseman Connor Murphy for quite some time as head coach Jeremy Colliton said the 25-year-old is still “weeks” away. The team could use every advantage it has if it wants to break out of its struggles this season.

Devils Notes: Schneider, Hischier, Smith, Hall

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With New Jersey having made a significant jump in the Metropolitan Division, the Devils now must show that they can continue their success after 27-point increase in the standings and their first playoff berth since the 2011-12 season. The team was carried by Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall and a group of young players who had a quick impact on the team.

However, the team accomplished all this with goaltender issues as 32-year-old Cory Schneider had a second disappointing season as he struggled with injuries throughout the year, while posting a 2.93 GAA and a .907 save percentage in just 40 games. The team got a great season out of backup Keith Kincaid, who helped the Devils reach the playoffs. However, if the team has any hopes of reaching the playoffs for a second-straight season, the team will need Schneider to be healthy-free and at the top of his game, according to Scott Billeck of NBC Sports.

In fact, there is hope that Schneider can bounce back after two disappointing years as a nagging hip injury was hopefully fixed this offseason when he underwent surgery. He is listed as questionable to start training camp and may miss the early portion of the season while recovering from surgery that has a five-month timeline.

  • In another story, Billeck writes that the team can’t expect Hall to produce at another 93-point season like he did last year. If the team wants to return to the playoffs, they will have to rely on other players to pick up their games. After Hall, the team’s next best scorer was No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier at 52 points, which is a big dropoff. The team will need better secondary scoring. Hischier could provide some of that as Billeck believes that Hischier could become a 70-point scorer in his second year, while the team has to hope that winger Marcus Johansson can bounce back to his 50-point averages after being limited to just 29 games last season.
  • Mike Morreale of NHL.com writes that the team has several top prospects who could complement the team this year if they can prove themselves in training camp as 2018 first-round pick Ty Smith has a chance to earn a spot on a young blue line. He lists the team’s top five prospects, including Smith at No. 1, and while he believes that Smith will likely need another year in juniors, Smith still has a chance to win a spot on an improved, but hardly established blue line. He scored 73 points in 69 games for Spokane of the WHL last season and might be the perfect player to replace veteran John Moore, who left for Boston this offseason. Morreale also writes that the Devils should expect Michael McLeod and John Quenneville to make the teams next year.
  • The Athletic’s Cory Masisak (subscription required) breaks down what the Devils could look like in the 2020-21 season and quickly assumes that New Jersey will lock up Hall to a long-term deal of more than $10MM. Hall has two years remaining on his current deal.

Atlantic Notes: Senators’ Youth, Walker, Howard, Nelson

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The Ottawa Senators seem to have little go right over the last year or so, whether it was the unhappiness of their star defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Matt Duchene trade in which the team traded away their No. 1 overall pick for next season to Colorado. With the team shipping off players left and right, that pick could be a costly one for the team.

However, the Ottawa Sun’s Ken Warren writes that who the Senators need to look at the success of the New Jersey Devils last season had when they opted to add a struggling team with youth. Just a season ago, the Devils had a 28-40-14 season and just 70 points. However, New Jersey brought in an infusion of youth, including Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Will Butcher, as well as second-year players like Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha. That group altered the makeup of the struggling franchise and turned last season into a 44-29-9 season for 97 points, an increase of 27 points on the year. The team even qualified for the playoffs.

The Senators, who are actually loaded with quality prospects within their system, could get a similar infusion from their prospects. That possibility might start with 2018 first-rounder Brady Tkachuk, who opted to turn pro last week and has a chance to walk right into the Senators lineup. The team has other young players who are ready for full seasons this year, including Colin White, Logan Brown, Thomas Chabot, Filip Chlapik and Drake Batherson. The team also has last year’s second-round pick Alex Formenton, who made the Senators squad out of training camp last year, who could also make the jump this year. Some success from some of those kids could make people forget a little about some of the franchise’s struggles.

  • Former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Kurt Walker passed away Friday night at the age of 64 after a brief illness, according to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby. Walker, who might have been better known after his short NHL career, was an advocate for retired NHL players. His efforts nearly a decade ago helped retired players and opened doors for affordable health care, concussion research on NHL retired players and stem-cell research. Walker played three seasons in the NHL, all for the Maple Leafs, playing in 71 games, tallying four goals, five assists and 152 penalty minutes.
  • Mlive’s Ansar Khan writes that the Detroit Red Wings need a solid year out of 34-year-old goaltender Jimmy Howard, who has one year remaining on his contract. Howard started the 2017-18 season strong, but struggled in the second-half of the season, finishing the year with a 2.85 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 60 games. The team may have to lighten his workload now that the team added Jonathan Bernier, but if Howard will have to have a better year to earn another contract with the team. Khan writes the team might want to give him a two-year extension as they lack goalie prospects in their system.
  • The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes that Buffalo Sabres defensive prospect Casey Nelson has a good chance at breaking camp with the Sabres this year because he now requires Buffalo to pass him through waivers to send him to the AHL. Nelson, has played 55 games for Buffalo over the past three years and showed some promise last year, putting up three goals and eight assists in 37 games. However, because the team could conceivably lose him if they attempt to pass him through waivers, they may be more likely to hold onto him and send other prospects like Brendan Guhle to the AHL since he doesn’t require waivers.

New Jersey Devils Slowly Developing A Contender

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The NHL offseason usually revolves around the salary cap. Teams struggle to fit in as much talent as possible under a fixed ceiling, and are hindered in trade negotiations because of their limited cap space. The Edmonton Oilers for instance have done little this summer despite a desperate need to return to the playoffs, strangled by their expensive long-term contracts. Few teams in the league find themselves as unencumbered as the New Jersey Devils do currently, with less than $60MM in cap commitments for this season and only two players under contract for more than three years.

Even with the most cap space in the league the Devils haven’t done much to improve their team this summer, instead deciding to take an extremely slow approach to developing a contender. Amazingly, it could pay off sooner than later. New Jersey returned to the playoffs last season on the back of a Hart Trophy-winning year from Taylor Hall and solid debuts from several of their young players. Will Butcher jumped from winning the Hobey Baker award as the best college player in the country to quarterbacking an NHL powerplay, and finished his rookie season with 44 points. That put him 20th in the league among defensemen, ahead of star players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Aaron Ekblad and Zach Werenski. While there are other flaws in Butcher’s game, the Devils used him perfectly in a role that was best suited to take advantage of his talents.

Jesper Bratt started the year off on fire with 12 points in his first 13 games, and finished the year with a solid rookie total of 35 points. After turning 20 just a week ago, Bratt will be relied on as a key piece for years in New Jersey, despite his sixth-round draft pedigree. At the other end of the spectrum was Nico Hischier, who put up 52 points after being selected first overall and took over the team’s first-line center duty by the end of the year. The teenaged Hischier looks like he could be a Selke candidate in the future, along with having big offensive potential.

While Hall has just two years remaining on his modest six-year, $36MM contract the team seems in no rush to surround him with expensive free agent talent in order to take advantage of his bargain price. Instead, seeing as they’re already a playoff-caliber team, they will wait for their internal talent to blossom before eventually sitting down with Hall for a long-term extension. Hischier, Bratt, Pavel Zacha and others will mature on the roster while prospects like John Quenneville, Michael McLeod, Ty Smith and Jesper Boqvist will fight to secure jobs on it. Unlike Edmonton, who is fighting to improve the roster without any flexibility, New Jersey finds themselves in a position to wait for the right moment.

At the trade deadline last season, the Devils rewarded the solid play of their young team by adding Michael Grabner and Patrick Maroon for a playoff run. The team gave up relatively little in future assets—a pair of draft picks and two unsigned prospects—to try and make a bit more noise in the postseason. Though they wouldn’t find much success against the Tampa Bay Lightning, they would gain some good experience for the future. Even Hall, who will turn 27 this November, had never reached the postseason before last year. You can bet they will be interested in doing something similar should they find themselves in a playoff hunt again this year, given their ample cap space.

The other consideration is the expected free agent class of 2019, which should include several (if not many) star-level players. GM Ray Shero already admitted that he pursued James van Riemsdyk this summer before the price got too high, but perhaps that threshold would raise when dealing with someone like Tyler Seguin or Artemi Panarin. Both are still scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next summer, along with names like Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, Jordan Eberle, Jeff Skinner, Blake Wheeler, Joe Pavelski, Max Pacioretty, and dozens more. While many of those players will be re-signed before New Jersey ever gets a chance at them, they might find themselves in a situation where they can outbid basically any other team in the league for whoever is left.

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