Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
1) The New Jersey Devils need all the scoring help they can get. They also need help on the right side.
One guy who could help address both needs is Nail Yakupov.
The former 1st overall pick seems to have fallen out of favor in Edmonton and apparently the asking price for him isn't overly high.
It just so happens that the Devils have a pair of 3rd round picks.
If a 3rd is all it takes to pry Yakupov from Edmonton I'd make that deal without a second thought.
A good portion of 3rd rounders never make the NHL and most that do aren't impact players.
For all the talk about how Yakupov is a bust he has had a pretty good career thus far. In 252 games he has 50 goals (16 per 82 games) and 111 points (36 per 82 games). He posted those numbers from age 18-22 while playing somewhat limited minnutes on a bad team.
The likelihood of a 3rd round pick playing 250+ games and putting up those numbers is slim. Yakupov has the potential to do a lot more, too.
He's probably one of the best buy low options in the league right now.
2) Barring a highly rater player like Alex Nylander, for example, slipping to the Devils at 11th overall I think Mikhail Sergachev is my top choice if Clayton Keller is off the board.
In my opinion Sergachev is the best defenseman in this draft and has higher upside than the likes of Olli Juolevi and Jakob Chychrun.
He is a fluid skater, he makes a good first pass, is patient with the puck, can run a power play and has a bomb from the point. He's pretty good defensively as well and at 6'2' he has ideal NHL size.
A scoring forward is the Devils biggest need but I prefer to see teams draft the best player available and I have Sergachev higher than Chychrun, Logan Brown, Michael McLeod and some other OHLs who may still be on the board.
The Devils could use a guy like Sergachev, too, as Damon Severson is the only offensive defenseman in the organization and
he may be traded this weekend.
Recent Posts
Is Damon Severson on the trade block?
Devils trade cap space for draft pick
Patrik Elias wants to play one more year
Which pending UFAs should be re-signed?
Could Jiri Hudler be a fit for the Devils?
The Devils should re-sign David Schlemko
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»