Circling back to the New Jersey Devils' 2024 draft class

Headlined by Anton Silayev, the Devils added seven prospects to the cupboards in Vegas.

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Due to a compact schedule, and New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald making a notable transaction what felt like every five minutes, I didn’t get to dive into the team’s draft class as much as I would’ve liked.

Now that the waters have calmed, I thought it’d be a great time to circle back and take a closer look.

Warming up on Silayev

I admittedly didn’t do much video work on Silayev leading up to the draft. The reasoning was simple. He was projected to be a top-5 selection and the Devils were picking 10th.

Given prospects with stand-out size tend to be overdrafted, and that the Devils were as well stocked on defense as any position, I thought there was little to no chance he’d end up a Devil.

The team didn’t think so either, which is why they were so happy the 6’7’ blueliner – who ranked higher on their board than where he was taken – fell onto their laps.

I’ve combed through a few of Silayev’s games since he was selected. The more I watch, the more I like what I see.

His defensive ceiling is through the roof. It’s insane. His stick work is exceptional and he is almost impossible to get around in 1v1 situations due to his reach and skating ability. His reads are often good as well.

There were numerous instances where he’d see a teammate close by, seal an opponent off, and steer him directly into help.

He also showed a good understanding of when to pressure to put out fires. If an opponent had his back to Silayev or was flat-footed, Silayev would close quickly and make a play on the puck.

If a teammate was running an attacker into the corner, let’s say, Silayev would see it and pressure from the other side to take away any lane or possible escape that may have been available. It was impressive.

Although he is not dynamic with the puck, and will probably never put up big numbers, he’s far from a zero with it.

He is comfortable skating it up ice. He is comfortable pinching when the situation calls for it. He’s comfortable making plays on the left side or right side. His D-to-D passing is very good. And he’s legitimately effective in breakout situations.

He can make stationary passes, he can pass teammates into space, and he’ll use the boards to bank pucks around opposing players if the situation calls for it. He’s not just firing pucks away. He’s looking to make plays – and he’s making them.

Unlike many defensive defensemen, Silayev handles a lot of responsibility in breakouts. He doesn’t avoid the puck like the plague or want/expect his partner to do all the heavy lifting. If anything, he does most of the work.

I continue to see a lot of Jaccob Slavin in his game. He’s excellent defensively but he’s also someone who can help exit the zone with possession and jumpstart the transition game.

I’m very comfortable projecting him as a quality top-4 defenseman who brings plenty of elements the Devils don’t have a lot of.

Quick hits on the others