Three thoughts on The Athletic's ranking of Devils prospects

Led by a strong crop of young defensemen, the Devils were ranked as the 8th best pipeline.

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By David Mudrak (@MuddyOpinions)

Corey Pronman, one of The Athletic's prospect experts, recently released his yearly report on how bright the future looks for each NHL team. Pronman looks at all players who are 22 years old or younger and ranks the teams based on who has the most potential talent. 

The Devils ranked 8th this year, dropping four spots from last year. However, last year, Jack Hughes was still young enough to be considered.  

The defense is set

As Devils fans, you are all aware of the blue line's talent. However, the team’s three young defensemen being the main reason the prospect group is ranked eighth in the league further highlights how special this future defensive core can be. 

With Luke Hughes, Šimon Nemec, Anton Silayev, and Seamus Casey, the Devils could have the best defense in the league within a few years. That concept has not been possible since the early 2000’s when Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer were hoisting cups. 

It is also an opinion that would have sounded insane just three years ago. Over the last three years, the Devils have added all three top defensive prospects through the draft, as well as Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce through free agency.

Before that, the Devils’ best defensemen were Damon Severson and a rapidly aging P.K. Subban. 

Fitzgerald has assembled such a powerful backend by rolling with the punches and constantly trying to add the best talent that can fit with the team.

As the Devils were in the throws of their complete rebuild, it felt like they were becoming a dominant offensive team. With the likes of Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Jack Hughes, the team would rely heavily on the forward group to win. 

Even in some of the last drafts, it seemed the team was still moving in that direction, looking to draft Juraj Slafkovský or Beckett Sennecke. Instead of staying stuck on a singular vision of how this team could win and being forced to reach for forwards who were not as talented once his targets were drafted, Fitzgerald pivoted and selected the best available player that could realistically fit with the future roster.

By following that often touted but not always followed concept, Fitzgerald drafted Šimon Nemec and Anton Silayev, redefining what the defense could look like in a few years. 

More lottery tickets are needed in goal