Todd Cordell: Five potential 1st round draft targets for the New Jersey Devils

Noel, sandin and Wilde are all excellent prospects depending on where you pick. If they trade down I would also think about Merkley. Crazy thought, what would it cost to get the Rags late first round picks.

With our surplus of forwards in the minors, I see no way the Devils will pick anything but D with this pick. Especially with Moore a FA, Lovejoy on his last year and Greene getting old before our eyes. I can see us trading back with someone if we could get another 2nd or 3rd round pick!

Wilde is a dumb player

He’s got the talent, but not the hockey sense

Agree on Sandin, with one exception, not sure we get him if we trade down. He may not even be there at 17 with the premium teams put on defensemen at drafts.

Really don’t care what position the Devils pick this draft just pray the get it right, Besides Nico their first round picks since picking Parise in 2003 have not produced 1 top line player. Zacha has been kind of disappointing but still has room to grow, Quennville maybe becomes a bottom 6 player and McLoed at best will be a second liner IMO. Would be nice to get lucky and pick a player like The islanders did in 2015 picking Barzal 16th in the first round.

With our surplus of forwards in the minors, I see no way the Devils will pick anything but D with this pick. Especially with Moore a FA, Lovejoy on his last year and Greene getting old before our eyes. I can see us trading back with someone if we could get another 2nd or 3rd round pick!
- RussH1964

Best player available is the way to go. If they have a lot of quality forwards, they can just trade one for something else.

Agree on Sandin, with one exception, not sure we get him if we trade down. He may not even be there at 17 with the premium teams put on defensemen at drafts.
- smellmyfinger

I get what you're saying but this is a *loaded* defense crop. So many options – some guys will make it to the 20s and 30s.

Todd Cordell: Five potential 1st round draft targets for the New Jersey Devils
- Todd.Cordell

Nice read Todd. So it sounds to me like Bode Wilde is just a younger Moore, which is scary, but the kid has time to correct those issues. That being said, Sandin sounds like a slam dunk! If you have him as 3rd in the OHL, the kid must be good. If there is a chance we can recoup some of those picks spent on Grabner/Maroon by trading down and still get Sandin, Shero has my blessing!

Wilde is a dumb player

He’s got the talent, but not the hockey sense
- Nucker101

Bit of a Jack Johnson/Dion Phaneuf/Jake Gardiner eh?

I can't figure out why Wilde is ranked higher than Sandin. Every description I read of Sandin's skill set makes him sound like a fantastic player, while Wilde seems to have more obvious flaws. The only thing Sandin seems to lack is high end skating ability, but John Moore is probably the Devils best skater on the blue line and he sucks so I'm not too fussed about it.

I'd take Sandin at 17 and call it a day.

My top-5 targets for the Devils right now (of the guys who might be available) are:
1. Sandin
2. Lundestrom
3. Kravtsov
4. Wilde
5. Kupari

I can't figure out why Wilde is ranked higher than Sandin. Every description I read of Sandin's skill set makes him sound like a fantastic player, while Wilde seems to have more obvious flaws. The only thing Sandin seems to lack is high end skating ability, but John Moore is probably the Devils best skater on the blue line and he sucks so I'm not too fussed about it.

I'd take Sandin at 17 and call it a day.
- CaptCrankypants

FWIW, I'd take Sandin over Wilde too. I have Wilde in the mix at 17 because if the Devils want him, they're probably not going to be able to trade down and get him.

Bit of a Jack Johnson/Dion Phaneuf/Jake Gardiner eh?
- bikeguy99

sure, except I think those guys had more natuRal abilities to still allow them to have some good seasons, Wilde is talented, but not talented enough to overcome his poor hockey sense. I think his best case would be a 4/5 dman who needs to be sheltered and can play on the PP.

I can't figure out why Wilde is ranked higher than Sandin. Every description I read of Sandin's skill set makes him sound like a fantastic player, while Wilde seems to have more obvious flaws. The only thing Sandin seems to lack is high end skating ability, but John Moore is probably the Devils best skater on the blue line and he sucks so I'm not too fussed about it.

I'd take Sandin at 17 and call it a day.
- CaptCrankypants

Me neither. I guess Sandin gets docked for not having the best size/speed combination + playing on a great team, but he has legit 2nd pairing potential in the NHL.

If we go Forward:
1. Kravstov
2. Kupari
(If we trade down)
3. Bokk
4. Denisenko
5. Thomas

Defense:
1. Smith (by some miracle)
2. Miller
3. Wilde
4. Sandin
5. McIssac

If we go Forward:
1. Kravstov
2. Kupari
(If we trade down)
3. Bokk
4. Denisenko
5. Thomas

Defense:
1. Smith (by some miracle)
2. Miller
3. Wilde
4. Sandin
5. McIssac
- Senor_Elias

I've yet to see anyone project Miller higher than the late 20's. I'd go with Addison or Alexeyev before Miller and McIsaac. Wilde I'm not sure about.
This is a blurb from Canucks Army on Wilde:

There’s no doubt that Wilde has plenty of tools, including excellent skating, a hard shot and that desirable blueline size (6-foot-2, 195 pounds), but he just isn’t much of a point producer. Scouting reports claim that he can run a power play efficiently, but he had just five power play points this season on a team that had Oliver Wahlstrom, Joel Farabee, and Jack Hughes as its finishers. Of all the 5-on-5 goals that the USNTDP team scored against USHL competition while Wilde was in the lineup, Wilde had a primary point on just 3.5% of them. That Primary Involvement Percentage is one of the lowest of all the players on this list.

I've yet to see anyone project Miller higher than the late 20's. I'd go with Addison or Alexeyev before Miller and McIsaac. Wilde I'm not sure about.
This is a blurb from Canucks Army on Wilde:
- CaptCrankypants

He's 17 on McKeen's, 16 on hocketprospect but yeah ideally one of Smith/Farabee/Velano somehow drops to us we take them in a second...if not I want Kravstov

Who is the "guy that if we don't draft we'll complain about it for years" player of this draft?

Who is the "guy that if we don't draft we'll complain about it for years" player of this draft?
- Pomegrant

1st round or whole draft? For me its Kravtsov.

Who is the "guy that if we don't draft we'll complain about it for years" player of this draft?
- Pomegrant

Berggren according to my sources

Who is the "guy that if we don't draft we'll complain about it for years" player of this draft?
- Pomegrant

Sandin, and the Flyers will take him at 19.

Sandin, and the Flyers will take him at 19.
- smellmyfinger

I look forward to this.

Who is the "guy that if we don't draft we'll complain about it for years" player of this draft?
- Pomegrant

You don’t get to find that out until 1-2 years after the draft...

You don’t get to find that out until 1-2 years after the draft...
- Queenie_5_hole

That's not true at all. Barzal and Brayden Point were my top choices on draft day (and I definitely wasn't alone in either case). That Point was still available in round 3 and the Devils still didn't take him is the reason I haven't gotten over that draft yet.

I don't see any obvious candidate this year yet. It's harder to figure out who will be available in the middle of the first round than early on or at the end of the round. It's like 2016, only instead of hoping Keller or Jost would fall, you already know that caliber of player is going to be off the board and you're left with a bunch of guys who all have obvious flaws and you just have to hope the one you pick is the guy who makes it.