New Jersey Devils Q&A: Talking 2nd overall, John Gibson, Lindy Ruff, and more

I answered your questions re: many of the hot button issues surrounding the Devils.

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With the off-season just around the corner, I thought it’d be great to get a Q&A in with regards to what we might see from the New Jersey Devils in the coming weeks and months.

Let’s waste no time diving right into it.

Q: Instead of trading for DeBrincat with the second overall pick, it would be nice to center a package around Ty Smith (expendable with Luke on the way). What are your thoughts?

It would be nice. Unfortunately, that’s not realistic. The numbers beneath the surface indicate Smith wasn’t nearly as good of a rookie as the counting totals suggested and he was a straight up tire fire a season ago.

He has no doubt lost a lot of his shine league-wide. That’s not to say he carries no value; I don’t think that’s the case. But he’s definitely not a shiny enough toy to be used as a key piece in a DeBrincat deal.

If there is a deal to be made without including second overall or Luke Hughes, I think Alex Holtz - and more - would have to be added to Smith to get Chicago to really consider.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Chicago asked for Holtz, Smith, and another big asset - like a 2023 1st (gotta protect it for top-5, IMO) - in a DeBrincat deal.

That is a lot, absolutely, but he’s a 24-year-old who has scored 45 goals per 82 games over the last two seasons. Players like that fetch a lot or they don’t move.

Q: In your opinion, in what situation does it make sense for the Devils to trade the 2nd overall pick? I.e. at what point is Slafkovsky + lesser targets not worth as much as what we could get for pick number 2?

Truth be told, I’m pretty set on keeping 2nd overall. I think the Devils have put together a very, very, strong young core – headlined by Jack, Hischier, Bratt, Mercer and Luke – and I think it is in their best interest to try and add another impact piece who can grow with that group. If they can hit on one more pick, it could open up a long, long, contending window in the near future.

As you kind of alluded to, grabbing a prospect like Juraj Slafkovsky and trading quality assets – but lesser ones – for someone like Kevin Fiala feels more appealing than moving the entire war chest for an even bigger name.

If Slafkovsky, or another prospect, hits, the long-term value will be tough to beat when you consider anyone you’d cash the pick in for will command as much as $9-10 million per on an extension.

Q: Do you get the feeling that the longer we wait, the more likely it is that Lindy Ruff will be our HC to start the year? Or do you think Fitz could still move Ruff to the front office and hire someone else?