Westcott Clarifies Devils’ Draft Picks

With the Qualifying Round largely done, we know that the Islanders, Coyotes, Canadiens, Blackhawks and Canucks will be moving on to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Only the Maple Leafs-Blue Jackets play-in series remains to be finalized as well as the seeding for most of the teams that already qualified for the playoffs.

Because of that, there was some hashing out of just where the Devils’ Draft picks, acquired in trades with conditions, would be.

Enter Chris Westcott, who posted to the “Inside the Devils Blog” today to clarify where the Devils stand.

Westcott said that the Devils have three first-round picks in 2020. These include their own, Arizona’s first-round pick (the Coyotes defeated the Predators to advance to play the Avalanche in the first round of what will be just Taylor Hall’s second trip to the playoffs) as a part of the Taylor Hall trade and Vancouver’s first-round pick via Tampa Bay (the Blake Coleman deal). The Canucks ousted the Wild to move on.

Now, of course, Westcott does mention that if Hall re-signs with Arizona or the Yotes somehow upset Colorado in the first-round of the playoffs, the Devils would get “a 2021 second-rounder instead of a third. But if both of these things transpire, the Devils would receive a first-round pick in 2021” from the Coyotes.

He also talks about the Sami Vatanen deal where, if Vatanen plays in 70-percent of the Hurricanes’ playoff games, New Jersey “will get a 2020 third instead of a fourth-round pick.”

Westcott said that if the Draft were today, the Devils would have the seventh (their pick), eighteenth and twentieth picks in the first-round. The Arizona and Vancouver picks will likely change as the playoffs move on and teams get “reseeded” in the Draft order.

Westcott says that, essentially, we, as Devils fans, should be rooting for Vatanen and Arizona.

If Vatanen can stay healthy, that pick condition should be met no problem. The Hurricanes probably like what they see and see Vatanen as a good weapon, especially on the power play.

The Taylor Hall thing is where it gets less likely that we get what we want. Hall wants stability above all else. Sure, if the Yotes get him his first ever playoff series win, he would be more apt to re-sign there. The problem is the GM situation. John Chayka is gone, leaving them with an interim general manager for the time being. It is even more chaotic than the Devils towards the end of Hall’s tenure here.

But we will see how things pan out. Right now, the Devils have three first-rounders in a good draft. This is time to move forward and think of the team’s future.

Greene Traded to Islanders

The Devils today traded their captain, defenseman Andy Greene to the New York Islanders in exchange for defenseman David Quenneville and a New York’s second round pick in 2021.

Quenneville, the 21-year-old brother of former Devil John and cousin to former Devil Joel, will report to Binghamton of the American Hockey League.

With the pick, the Devils now possess seven picks in 2021. According to the press release put out by the team on the subject, they have their own first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth round picks, plus the Islanders’ second-round pick and the Coyotes’ third round pick (which is conditional) from the Taylor Hall trade.

This move certainly changes the complexion of the club, as Greene had served as the eleventh captain in team history since named to the post on October 8, 2015. Greene, 37-years-old and one of the oldest players in the NHL, was set to be an unrestricted free agent following this season.

Greene was signed by the Devils as a college free agent out of Miami University of Ohio. He was in his 14th season as a Devil, sharing time with Travis Zajac as longest-tenured Devils. Zajac has a slight edge on Greene there, as he should reach 1,000 games this season, whereas Greene should get there next season. He had played in 923 games as a Devil, good for seventh in that category for the franchise.

This move, which interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald called one he did take “lightly,” puts Greene in a position to compete for a Stanley Cup, a chance he has not gotten since 2012 when the Devils lost to Los Angeles in the Finals. It also gives the Isles a good veteran leader for down the stretch and reunites Greene with Lou Lamoriello, the man who drafted him. The Devils get younger on defense and get something of value instead of losing Greene for free should he walk come July 1.

Greene also gets to remain in the area, something a veteran player with a family and roots is always concerned with.

Fitzgerald mentioned in the press release that “Andy has been a bedrock for the Devils franchise for the past 14 years and an exceptional leader in my time here.” He said that he “constantly communicated with Andy throughout this process to make sure he was comfortable with the decision.”

One concern for the Devils now is who will take the mantle as the next captain? Nico Hischier is a choice that I am sure the team will be heavily considering. Blake Coleman, who is a little older than Nico and a free agent after next season, would be a good option as well. There is support for both men amongst fans. There could be an outlier like a Zajac or a Kyle Palmieri should they remain with the team and not be traded as well.

No matter what happens, good luck to Andy with the Islanders and thank you for your time on the Devils’ blue line. He was a great leader and a mentor to young players who will be the future of this team going forward.