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NFT: New Jersey Devils draft discussion

Jay on the Island : 6/27/2015 12:22 pm
Personally I am very happy with the Devils draft thus far. Zacha was a great pick at #6 and he has top line skill. Obviously it is extremely unlikely that he makes the team next year but he will hopefully be ready the following year. Mackenzie Blackwood is the top goaltender in the draft according to some scouts and even though they have a great goaltender in Schneider it is always a wise decision to add depth to the organization that is lacking in goaltender prospects. I know very little about 3rd round pick C Blake Speers and 4th round D Colton White but maybe someone can give their opinion or provide a scouting report on either player.

1st round 6th overall C Pavel Zacha Czech
2nd round 42nd overall G Mackenzie Blackwood Canada
3rd round 67th overall C Blake Speers Canada
4th round 97th overall D Colton White Canada

As far as the Palmieri trade for the 41st pick and a 3rd I wasn't thrilled with it. He is young as has some more room to grow but I just think the Devils have several similar players like Palmieri. He should get more playing time here but he is entering the final year of his contract.
I love the Blake Speers pick.  
LarmerTJR : 6/27/2015 12:48 pm : link
Very talented, needs to bulk up a bit...I think White might have been a reach, but he was shooting up the draft boards (let's not go crazy, I mean like 6-7 round to 4-5) and since they didn't have a 5th, they grabbed the guy they liked. Took the 3rd next year from Ottawa, smart instead of taking the 109th pick this year.

So far, so good. And I think the big Czech MIGHT break camp with the team...

And the Goalie pick is a great value there, and they need goalie depth.
The downside to drafting a goalie high...  
Dunedin81 : 6/27/2015 4:04 pm : link
even one of the best in a lean year for netminders, is that in the absolute best case scenario he's a stud and he gives Corey Schneider a run for his money, but what are the fallbacks? Maybe he's the backup, but on a competitive team frequently the preference is for a veteran in that role. And maybe in the minors or subbing in for an injury he builds up a lot of trade value, but that doesn't happen that often. A guy with the ceiling of a top-pairing defenseman or a top-six skater can still contribute as a lower-pairing d-man or a checking forward if he doesn't get there. A goalie who doesn't get there probably never leaves the AHL.
I understand the risks in taking a goalie early  
Jay on the Island : 6/27/2015 4:21 pm : link
We saw it just a few years ago when the Devils took Frazee in the first round. He obviously didn't pan out but I really like Blackwood. He has incredible size and is very athletic. If he develops the Devils could always look to trade Schneider in a few years if he is still playing at a high level.
Either way, 3/5 picks are forwards...  
Dunedin81 : 6/27/2015 5:03 pm : link
1/5 picks are d-men, and we deal another pick for a forward. Clearly there's a new sheriff in town.
Goalie pick was  
slackerracker : 6/27/2015 10:10 pm : link
a bit unexpected but you figure the kid won't be ready for another 5 ish years which has schneider close to his mid 30s. The kid can take time and develop and after Scheider and Kinkaid the team has nothing really for goalies. Wedgewood is ok but not a future starter and only possibly a future backup.

Zacha has a good chance to make the team out of camp, he's played against Men in the Czech league starting at 16, he's also not a small guy dude is pretty beast physically and can most likely handle the NHL physicality. The AHL is a possibility too since he played in Europe up until last year when he played in the OHL but is still able to play in the AHL. It'll be interesting what happens but the kid was more than thrilled to be drafted by the Devils and Elias could be a good person to help him adjust.

Besides that nothing special the Spears kid could be a good pick, he's still putting on weight (says he's put on 20lbs since his rookie season) and has a strong low center of gravity so if he can put another 10-15 lbs on he'll be fine size wise.
Looks like both  
Jay on the Island : 6/28/2015 10:50 am : link
Gomez and Bernier will not be back next season. I do like Bernier I think he is an excellent 4th liner but I do agree with moving on from Gomez. This team desperately needs to get younger and faster and although Gomez surprised last season it is unlikely that he will again.
Also Harold and Fraser  
Jay on the Island : 6/28/2015 4:15 pm : link
will not be re-signed.
I was looking over this years free agent class  
Jay on the Island : 6/28/2015 5:19 pm : link
and it is a pretty weak group.
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