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Meghan Duggan hired by the Devils and Draft Lottery Odds

May 20, 2021, 9:04 AM ET [129 Comments]
Roger Mussa
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Olympic gold medalist and former U.S. team captain Meghan Duggan was hired by the New Jersey Devils to be a manager of player development. This is a great move because she will help bring the Devils a winning mindset.

Duggan told ESPN, “I'm thrilled to be joining a group that, from what I'm learning, puts an incredible emphasis on culture, mindset and growth mindset. It feels right in my gut."

That is what the Devils are getting. A true winner.

Duggan is no stranger to winning and being a leader. The Massachusetts native captained the U.S. to the gold medal at the 2018 Olympics. She recorded 75 points (45 goals, 30 assists) in 137 games while wearing the red, white, and blue. She will work with Devils assistant GM Dan MacKinnon and work in a variety of roles including on the ice with the team.

Duggan’s experience and presence will give the Devils a different and unique perspective for their players.

“Just coming out of the game myself, I can hopefully relate to some of the players in a variety of different ways,” she said. “There’s a lot, hopefully, from my background playing at an elite level for so long from an on-ice perspective that I can bring and then help them in any area that they need.”

The Devils are a young team and will be looking towards Duggan, who is 33 and recently retired from professional hockey, to bring that winning mindset to the organization which is sorely needed. She is a born leader and not afraid to speak up during difficult times. After the U.S. Women’s Olympic ice hockey team suffered two heartbreaking losses to rival Team Canada, she remained persistent on her goal of winning gold by recognizing that these hard failures can shape and mold your team for future successes.

Duggan said, “Those losses have shaped us as athletes, but more importantly as people. We don’t train that hard to come in second place, but you find ways to keep moving forward.”

This is exactly what the Devils need right now. A winning mindset. There have been a lot of failures on the ice recently for the three time Stanley Cup Champions. Hopefully, Duggan can assist on taking the Devils’ recent mountain of woes and turn it into success like Lou Lamoriello did when he came to the Devils in 1987. She has done it before. And she will do it again.

Burning Question
What kind of impact will Meghan Duggan bring to the New Jersey Devils?



In other news...
The NHL Draft Lottery odds were announced yesterday.
The Devils will have a 10.3% chance of obtaining the #1 pick, along with Seattle Kraken they will both have the third best chance to win the lottery.

Buffalo with 16.6% chance and Anaheim with 12.1% chance are the only two teams that have better odds than New Jersey and Seattle.
Rounding out the top 5 is the Jackets. The Rangers with a 1% chance of attaining the top pick.

We know the Devils have had luck of late with the lottery winning in 2017 (Hischier) and 2019 (Hughes) who are now pillars in the organization.

Woo
If the NHL guy with the remote control is looking at the team lottery balls and the New York Rangers ball is mistakenly dropped prematurely to Commissioner Bettman calling it out, NHL Draft lottery odds means nothing to me.

Advocate
I am actually liking our chances especially with the same odds as a newly minted NHL team. Ill take a 10.3% chance and having a top 5 pick in this Draft means we could add a quality Dman to the mix. Luke Hughes would be a nice pick bringing him with his brother Jack, winner of Best Hair Award for the Devils, making him very happy and a family affair. Good luck to us in the lottery!




Side note, the Devils have had their fair share of brothers in the system keeping family ties. Lamoriello was notorious for putting a premium on family. Through the years we have seen Broten brothers, Niedermayer brothers, Gionta brothers, Zajac brothers, Lemieux brothers, Brodeur brothers (Martin's children) play for the Devils. Will the lottery bring another brother to the mix?

Woo & The Advocate 2.0
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