The Devils entered the night with just one right winger on their roster.
Well, now they have two as they acquired Kyle Palmieri from the Anaheim Ducks. In exchange the Devils parted with the 41st overall pick as well as a 3rd rounder in 2016, according to Sportsnet.
Palmieri is a talented guy who never broke through playing behind Corey Perry and Jakob Silfverberg, among others, on a very deep Anaheim Ducks team.
Palmieri scored 14 goals and tallied 29 points in 57 games while playing relatively limited minutes for the Ducks last season.
His point totals won't 'wow' you, however, his rate stats are very good as he's scored goals and recorded points at a high rate on a per-60 minute basis.
In New Jersey he will have ample opportunity to prove he can be the top-6 winger he was projected to be.
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Ray Shero has stressed the need to add offense to the organization and he took the first step in doing so by choosing Pavel Zacha with the 6th overall pick.
Zacha scored 16 goals and tallied 34 points in 37 games with the Sarnia Sting.
His production doesn't scream top-10 pick but he didn't have much to work with in Sarnia. He also missed some time due to suspension and to play for Czech Republic during the World Juniors.
I'm usually weary of taking guys high in the draft without elite production, however, Zacha is one player I'm confident is much better than his point totals would indicate.
He is a very good skater who has a lot of power in his strides. He possesses good puck skills, a bomb of a shot and already has man strength.
I expect he'll return to Sarnia next season but he will likely have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in camp.
I'll go much more in-depth on Zacha once the dust settles and the draft reaches its end.
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