The NHL off-season hasn't really gotten underway yet and there's been no shortage of changes in New Jersey.
They have hired a new general manager in Ray Shero, a new head coach in John Hynes, replaced both assistants and have signed a couple European free agents.
That's just the beginning, though.
In today's post I answered some questions about the state of the team and what we could see in the coming weeks.
Q: Do you think the Devils need to finally find a legit 1C so Zajac can drop down and thrive as a 2C (not many options in free agency, though)? If acquiring an undisputed No. 1 center was that easy the Devils would have already done so by now. They don't just grow on trees and for the most part the only way to get them is through the draft.
Would Zajac be better in a No. 2 role? Probably. I also think he'd be a lot better off if he had better linemates and didn't have to spend a good chunk of his even-strength minutes playing with Jordin Tootoo.
The Devils have him locked up long-term and he's obviously not going anywhere. Shero has to find a way to bring in some quality linemates so the Devils can get the most out of him.
Q: Chances Marner or Strome fall to 6? Biggest splash they can realistically make this offseason? I don't see any scenario where Dylan Strome falls to 6. It is possible Mitch Marner makes his way down to the Devils - and I know they'd love that to happen - but that is also very unlikely.
As for the latter part of that question I don't think they should be looking to make a big splash. They're not one or two pieces away and making a splash usually means giving up a bunch of good assets for a great one. The Devils can't afford to gut their system for one big name.
I think using their picks to try and restock the pipeline while making a calculated signing/trade or two would be the best route.
Q: What will the Devs do with the 6th pick? Will they trade it? Who are some of the possible players they could trade for? Under pretty much no circumstances would I trade the pick and I don't think the Devils will. If there aren't any big fallers I think they will keep 6th overall and select either Mathew Barzal or Pavel Zacha.
Q: Think Scott Stevens could go to Albany? You never know but I doubt he'd like to go to Albany after spending some time - and doing good work - in the NHL.
Q: I'd like the devils to go all out rebuild and not sign any big name free agent defensemen. What do you think? I could see the logic behind bringing in one veteran blue liner to help take some of the load off the kids but I understand what you're saying. Bringing in stop-gaps and neither bottoming out or making the playoffs doesn't really help anyone.
Q: Any chances the Devils want Sergei Kostitsyn? The Devils have already signed a couple players from overseas since Shero took over, and he's stressed the need to improve up front, so I wouldn't rule it out.
Q: With our cap space should we offer sheet Dougie Hamilton? I love Hamilton but I don't think so because a) defense is New Jersey's strong suit; b) they already have plenty of young talent at the position and; c) it'd take a ton of money to make Boston consider letting him go, in which case the Devils would have to give up some high picks.
Q: Between these three who should they draft: Rantanen, Zacha or Barzal? I'm a Barzal guy myself but I like both other options. If I had to rank them I'd guy Barzal 1st with Zacha slightly edging out Rantanen for the 2nd spot.
Q: If the Devils want a player who can make an impact next year in the NHL, who is the best choice in the draft? I don't think anyone they would get at 6th overall would immediately make a big impact. I'd say Lawson Crouse, Pavel Zacha and Mikko Rantanen are the most NHL-ready prospects in terms of their physical statures but drafting that way seems really short sighted.
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If you want to learn more about this year's crop of prospects I strongly recommend HockeyProspect.com's Blackbook. I contributed to this and saw first hand the amount of work the entire staff put into it. There's tons of information inside and I'm confident in saying it's the most thorough guide available will almost 500 pages of content.
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