Expansion Draft Preview: New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils are stuck in a rut.

Since reaching the Stanley Cup Final back in 2012, the team has made the playoffs once in nine seasons. That’s the worst stretch this franchise has seen since its days as the Colorado Rockies.

The Devils have stockpiled quite a bit of young talent over the past few years. Beyond No. 1 overall picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, the Devils have drafted quality talent in Ty Smith, Dawson Mercer, and Alexander Holtz, and they’ve traded for names like Nolan Foote and Janne Kuokkanen.

The priority for New Jersey at the upcoming expansion draft will be to retain all of their promising young talent. That shouldn’t be too difficult.

Eligible Forwards

@Nico Hischier, @Andreas Johnsson, @Miles Wood, @Jesper Bratt, @Pavel Zacha, @Nick Merkley, @Nathan Bastian, @Michael McLeod, @Janne Kuokkanen, @Marian Studenic, @Yegor Sharangovich, @Ben Steet

Eligible Defencemen

@P.K. Subban, @Ryan Murray, @Damon Severson, @Will Butcher, @Connor Carrick, @Jonas Siegenthaler, @David Quenneville, @Colton White

Eligible Goaltenders

@Mackenzie Blackwood, @Scott Wedgewood, @Aaron Dell, @Evan Cormier

Exempt Players

@Jack Hughes, @Ty Smith, @Alexander Holtz, @Dawson Mercer, @Nolan Foote, @Jesper Boqvist, @Tyce Thompson, @Kevin Bahl, @Shakir Mukhamadullin

What should they do?

The Devils are in a pretty good situation because a lot of their important players are exempt. Recent top draft picks in Hughes, Smith, Holtz won’t need to be protected, which obviously makes life a lot easier.

Starting with goaltenders, Blackwood is the obvious choice to protect. He had a difficult season in 2021 but owns a .911 save percentage in his NHL career. The blueline is also pretty simple. The Devils will likely protect Subban, Butcher, and Severson.

Things start to get a little bit more tricky when it comes to the forwards. Hischier, Bratt, and Zacha are the obvious three to protect, leaving New Jersey with four more spots and a handful of names to consider. Wood tied for the team lead with 17 goals and 22-year-old Sharangovich was right behind him with 16. That production should be enough to get both players on the list.

That leaves two more spots for a handful of young guys: McLeod, Kuokkanen, Bastian, and Merkley. McLeod, the former No. 12 overall pick, is starting to establish himself as a fine bottom-six centre. Kuokkanen, who the team got back in the Sami Vatanen deal, broke out with 25 points this year. Those are the two that make the most sense to protect.

That would leave Seattle with the option to take a veteran like Andreas Johnsson or a young defenceman like Jonas Siegenthaler. Neither would be a major loss for New Jersey. This is a pretty easy expansion draft for them to navigate.