On Juraj Slafkovsky and the New Jersey Devils

Slafkovsky and the Devils have been linked since lottery night. Is the rumored interest justified?

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With the NHL Entry Draft less than two months away, and the order finalized for non-playoff teams, we’re starting to get an idea of who might end up where; at least up top.

All signs point towards projected No. 1 center Shane Wright going to the Montreal Canadiens with the 1st overall pick.

While there is no consensus No. 2 prospect, we’ve already seen a lot of linkage between the New Jersey Devils and Juraj Slafkovsky at pick No. 2.

Part of it is simply connecting dots. The Devils have Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier as the team’s top two centers until the end of time. If you want to go three deep, they could use impressive rookie Dawson Mercer there as well.

On defense, the Devils have a nice combination of skating, skill, and defensive prowess with Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler and Damon Severson headlining the NHL blueline; and top prospect Luke Hughes is not far behind.

The area of ‘need’ is on the wing; with size and finishing ability being the two attributes the organization lacks the most. Slafkovsky can check those boxes; and he has the ceiling to warrant a top selection in his own right.

Put another way, a strong case can be made for Slafkovsky at 2nd overall – whether GM Tom Fitzgerald factors in team needs or not.

That’s why draft expert Corey Pronman rated Slafkovsky as his No. 2 prospect in this class, and that’s why Pronman had Slafkovsky going 2nd overall in his mock draft.

Excerpt via TheAthletic:

2. New Jersey Devils: Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, TPS-Liiga

New Jersey is a rare team picking in this range without a clear need for a center. Cooley could very reasonably be the best player available at this slot, but I think a slight majority of scouts will say Slafkovsky is. He would look very good next to Jack Hughes for the next decade.

So, Slafkovsky to the Devils is getting a lot of traction publicly. But there is sometimes a disconnect between what’s in the public sphere and how things are actually viewed within the NHL.

With that in mind, I reached out to a couple of NHL hockey ops members to get their thoughts.

Could they see Slafovsky going 2nd overall? Is that a justifiable pick? What do they think of his skillset? Let’s find out!