Thoughts on Thoughts: Talking 2nd overall, trade targets, Ville Husso, and more

There were plenty of interesting New Jersey Devils tidbits in the latest edition of 32 Thoughts. I dove into them all.

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There were no shortage of noteworthy New Jersey Devils tidbits inside Elliotte Friedman’s latest edition of 32 Thoughts; all of which I’m going to comment on today.

Let’s get right to it.

GM Tom Fitzgerald’s made it clear the No. 2 pick is available, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. You have to go back 21 years to find the last trade of a second overall selection, so there’s some real question about whether it will actually happen.

I continue to believe the No. 2 overall pick is more likely to be moved if the Montreal Canadiens select Juraj Slafkovsky atop the draft.

I’ve heard the Devils are quite high on Slafkovsky, which isn’t hard to understand given he’d bring a rare combination of speed (he was one of the fastest skaters in Finland last season), power, and soft skill to the table; while filling organizational needs in the process.

Don’t get me wrong; I think Fitzgerald would be more than willing to take Shane Wright if the opportunity presents itself. I just see inquiring teams having an easier time turning Fitzgerald’s head if Slafkovsky is off the table.

Devils fans are drooling over the possibility of an Alex DeBrincat or a J.T. Miller, but you’ve got to know you can sign them, and those won’t be inexpensive extensions. (Plus, that kind of move hands incredible leverage to the agent).

Alex DeBrincat has quickly developed into one of the best goal scorers in the NHL. At just 24 years of age, he already has multiple 40+ goal seasons to his name and has averaged nearly 45 tallies per 82 games over the last two years.

It’s easy to get excited about what he could do over the next seven or eight years while riding shotgun with an emerging superstar in Jack Hughes.

In saying that, the cost of doing a deal for DeBrincat could be scary. Not only are you parting with numerous high value assets, you have to pay full value to get him extended.

Yes, the Devils have cap space. But they also have a handful of players eating huge chunks of it in Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Dougie Hamilton and (hopefully soon) Jesper Bratt. You can only afford so many mega deals; and it’s not like Dawson Mercer, Yegor Sharangovich, and co. will be playing for pennies long-term.

As Friedman mentioned, leverage in negotiations also goes out the window in situations such as this. It’s tough to tell the agent his client isn’t worth X when you moved mountains to get him. There’s also the trickle down effect. You can bet Bratt’s camp would be watching closely considering Bratt just averaged more points per game without the help of a working power play.

DeBrincat would be an awesome get but it’d be tricky to make things work considering what the Devils would have to give up and what they’d have to pay.

J.T. Miller would be a stone cold ‘no’ for me. He’s a fantastic offensive player, he is physical, he works his ass off, and he is an alpha leader. I get the appeal; just not for the Devils.

It makes no sense for them to get involved here. You’re buying sky high on a player who will soon be exiting his peak. The Devils would have to part with high-end young assets to pry Miller from Vancouver. Then they’d have to hand a monster extension to a guy who will be on the wrong side of 30 before he plays a single game on a new contract.

I have concerns about Miller holding up long-term considering he gets his nose dirty and plays a taxing style. I also don’t know that his skating will be good enough for him to excel playing huge minutes on a fast-paced Devils team well into his 30s.

In short, he does not align with the team’s core or style of play; and the cost of acquisition would be huge for a player who will be on at least a small downwards trajectory for most (all?) of his tenure in New Jersey.

Let a team closer to win-now mode pay for his services.

When it comes to the roster, the biggest question is probably Jesper Bratt. There are some trade rumours, and the Kevin Fiala extension will have an effect.