Major revelation: the Devils almost traded the 2nd overall pick, here's a hint about the teams involved

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Jeff Drouin
October 16, 2022 (6:23 PM)

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In the first round of the last NHL draft in Montreal last July, the Habs literally stole the show.

Not only with the selection of Juraj Slafkovsky, but also with two transactions announced in quick succession: the departure of Alexander Romanov for the New York Islanders and the arrival of Kirby Dach from Chicago.

Did you know that another team could have taken the title of general manager who gave the best show at the Bell Centre from Kent Hughes?

In an interview on TVA Sports, host Jean-Charles Lajoie spoke with Martin Brodeur. Now vice president of business development with the New Jersey Devils, the former NHL star goalie confirmed to Lajoie that the team came very close to trading their second overall pick.

"We came pretty close to trading him. I would say we were at seven on a scale of one to 10. We had conversations with different teams. It was important for us to have at least a top-10 pick in this draft. Soon, we'll be able to trade some draft picks, but we're not there yet."

Gives a clue as to which teams were in the running, those with a top10 pick!

In the end, it was a pretty good decision, as the Devils drafted defenseman Simon Nemec with the second overall selection and let's just say Brodeur says he's at peace with the decision. He had nothing but good things to say about the 18 year old Slovakian.

"We are impressed! Because of the fact that he was in Europe, we hadn't seen much of him. Our scouts really liked him and that's why he was drafted second overall. When he arrived at training camp, it took him a week to get used to the size of the rink and the speed of the game. It's amazing to see him go, for an 18 year old. He always has the puck and defensively he holds his own."

Brodeur added that the rebuild is in the past and the team now needs to take the next step.

"Our young guys aren't young anymore and our owners have allowed us to spend money to sign free agents. Players like Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt are no longer in their first year. It's time to aim for the playoffs. Hopefully, this year that will be the case. Scoring goals shouldn't be a problem for us. We've added leadership and a player who can play both sides of the ice in Ondrej Palat."

As for the playoffs, it is true that the Devils are a better team this year, but they will have to deal with one of the strongest divisions in the NHL, the Metropolitan.

With the Hurricanes, Rangers, Penguins and Capitals in attendance, the daunting task of getting to spring ball will likely not be easy for the Devils, but in field hockey these days, you're never safe from an upset.