The 2nd overall pick will help the New Jersey Devils with free agents

Whether chasing UFAs, or extending their own expiring players, having another high pick will be very beneficial.

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By Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_THW)

The draft lotto kings are back at it. Just in case you haven't heard by now, the New Jersey Devils moved up in the draft lottery once again.

They won't have the first overall pick this time. Although, having the second pick behind the Montreal Canadiens is a pretty good spot to be in. 

There are plenty of options for the Devils with the second pick. They could trade it, which CJ Turtoro wrote about yesterday. They could also not trade it, which CJ Turtoro also wrote about yesterday. They could draft Juraj Slafkovsky, or they could not draft Juraj Slafkovsky and take Logan Cooley instead. 

Those scenarios should help the Devils one way or another, but one benefit that hasn't been talked about much yet is how the second overall pick will impact the Devils in free agency. 

Devils have a strong pitch to sell to free agents

General manager Tom Fitzgerald has mentioned looking for impact players; they've already been connected to Kevin Fiala. He's also talked about looking for something different up front to complement skilled forwards like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier. 

While there's still plenty of time until free agency on July 13, the UFA class, at the moment, looks quite deep on the wing. Top-tier names such as Filip Forsberg and Johnny Gaudreau currently headline the class. But there is plenty of quality after them in wingers like Andre Burakovsky, Valeri Nichushkin, David Perron, and Andrew Copp, to name a few. 

Not only will the Devils look to add at least one winger through free agency, but it's no secret that goaltending is a pressing need. Names like Darcy Kuemper, Ville Husso and Jack Campbell are the big tickets Fitzgerald could consider. The dire need for a goalie and amount of playing time will likely appeal to any UFA netminder, but having the second overall pick will help in a pursuit for all UFAs. Why's that the case?

With two former first overall picks in Hischier and Jack Hughes on the team, they'll be joined by another top draft choice in a year at most. The Devils already have the youngest roster in the league, and there's more young talent on the way aside from whoever they draft on July 7. 

Most of the UFAs the Devils will target in free agency will be looking for long-term deals when they sign. Some may want to go to immediate Cup contenders, but some may look for teams on the rise that are on the verge of sustaining success. 

Fitzgerald and the Devils' front office can sell UFAs they're interested in on "we have Jack Hughes, Bratt, Hischier. We have Luke Hughes and Alexander Holtz coming up. And we'll have Slafkovsky/Cooley soon enough. Our core is in place, and you can be the missing piece that helps us take a step forward"

That will be attractive to some UFAs, as it was for Dougie Hamilton last summer when he signed a seven-year, $63 million deal with the Devils. 

The pitch won't change if they draft Cooley or Slafkovsky either. It'll still be the same because each player is a top-three talent in the 2022 draft.  

But one thing that could change is who the Devils target in free agency. Cooley and Slafkovsky play different positions, but they're also much different players. Slafkovsky is 6-foot-4, 218 pounds and has the makings of a power forward similar to Jesse Puljujärvi.

On the other hand, Cooley is 5-foot-10, 175 pounds and is a complete two-way center with plenty of offensive upside. 

If Cooley is the pick, it could mean Fitzgerald gets a little more aggressive trying to add a bigger scoring winger like Nichushkin or Burakovsky. Cooley would be the team's third-line center and they’d need that type of winger in their lineup.

Either way, Fitzgerald will have a strong pitch for free agents.