In the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft, the New Jersey Devils do not have a selection until the second round (58th overall). Since moving to New Jersey in 1982, the Devils have made 46 picks in the second round. They have twice had four total picks in the round (1996 & 2000), while in six drafts, they did not make a pick in the second round. It’s been kinder to the Devils of late, as they have found Damon Severson, Jesper Boqvist, Nathan Bastian, and Mackenzie Blackwood. Unfortunately for the team, the list of players it missed out on by making poor selections includes a current Hall of Famer, several Conn Smythe winners, and at least three future residents of the Hall of Fame.
Below is a list of the most noteworthy second-round picks by decade in Devils history. Despite hitting on three drafts in a row in the early 1990s, which became the foundation for their Cup runs, it is likely that all of the other misses accelerated the end of those runs and cost the team almost a decade of rebuilding.
1982 – 1990
1983 – Shawn Evans – Defenseman, 24th-overall pick
The first second-round pick in franchise history was used to draft Shawn Evans, who played a total of nine NHL games, none for the Devils. In drafting Evans, the Devils passed on one of their own future stars, Claude Lemieux, who was drafted two picks later by the Montreal Canadiens. Lemieux, the 1995 Conn Smythe Trophy winner for the Devils, played seven years for Montreal before signing with the Devils. In that time, Lemieux had 189 points in 281 games.
1985 – Sean Burke – Goalie, 24th-overall pick
In 1985, it appeared the Devils struck gold. They secured Sean Burke, who has a complicated history with Devils fans. Burke broke onto the scene in the 1987-88 season as a rookie, winning ten of his first eleven starts to lead the Devils into the playoffs for the first time in their history. The upstart team made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. Over the course of the next three seasons, he was unable to regain his initial success and was traded to the Hartford Whalers after sitting out the entire 1991-92 season due to a contract dispute. While Burke was initially a success, the Devils passed on future Hall of Famer Joe Nieuwendyk at 27 and goalie Mike Richter at 28, both of whom could have changed the trajectory of the franchise.
1985 – Eric Weinrich – Defenseman, 32nd-overall pick
Eric Weinrich was a solid contributor to the Devils in his time with the team, putting up 79 points in 173 games, but was ultimately traded alongside Burke to Hartford, which brought back Bobby Holik.
1987 – Ricard Persson – Defenseman, 23rd-overall pick
Persson did not join the Devils for eight years after being drafted, and even then, he only played 13 games with the team. In taking Persson, the Devils passed on five-time All-Star and 400-goal scorer John LeClair, a borderline Hall of Fame candidate, who was taken ten picks later.
1990 – David Harlock – Defenseman, 24th-overall pick/Chris Gotziaman – Right Wing, 29th-overall pick
This was a huge miss by the Devils. Neither of their draft picks played even a game for the franchise, nor were they used in a trade to acquire anything of note. In making these picks, Lamoriello passed on 1000-point scorer Doug Weight (34th Overall) and 700-point scorer Geoff Sanderson (36th Overall). Both Weight and Sanderson played over 1100 games in the NHL and would have been significant contributors to the burgeoning Devils of that era.
1991 – 2000
1992 – Sergei Brylin – Center, 42nd-overall pick
Brylin is one of five players to play on all three of the Devils Cup-winning teams. He is beloved by fans and epitomized the work ethic of those championship teams. Recently, the Devils have made Brylin part of their coaching staff, and Lindy Ruff has cited Brylin’s work as one of the main reasons the franchise made such a drastic improvement in the 2022-23 season. This is one of the top three second-round picks in franchise history.
1993 – Jay Pandolfo – Left Wing, 32nd-overall pick
This is the second of three years in a row where the Devils struck gold in the second round. Pandolfo played for the Devils for more than a decade and contributed to two of their Stanley Cup victories.
1994 – Patrik Elias – Left Wing, 51st-overall pick
At the time of his retirement, Elias was widely considered the best forward to play his entire career for New Jersey. He leads the Devils all-time in just about every career offensive category, both in the regular season and postseason. His 1025 points are the most in team history and are more than 300 points above the next closest player. It is difficult to imagine the Devils could have ever made a better second-round pick.
2001-2010
2002 – Anton Kadeykin – Defenseman, 51st-overall pick/ Barry Tallackson – Right Wing, 53rd-overall pick
Kadeykin never played in the NHL, and Tallackson played in 20 games over four seasons for the Devils, tallying two points. There is no doubt if you gave the Devils a mulligan, they would have instead chosen future Conn Smythe Trophy winner Duncan Keith, who went just one pick after Tallackson. Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, was one of the cornerstones of the Chicago Blackhawks’ run to three Cups and is a future Hall of Famer.
2003 – Petr Vrana – Center, 42nd-overall pick
Vrana played 16 games for the Devils over his career and scored one goal. Had they made a different pick, would they now have more than three Cups? Probably. The team passed on future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron, who was selected three picks later. Bergeron would go on to win a Cup with Boston and redefine how the center position is played and evaluated. Bergeron is also a five-time Selke Trophy winner and is the favorite to win his sixth in 2023.
2005 – Jeff Frazee – Goalie, 38th-overall pick
Not as egregious as the prior two, but taking Frazee cost the Devils the opportunity to select another franchise-changing player in Kris Letang and also Paul Stastny. Frazee played in only one NHL game, while Letang and Stastny both have played over 1000 and are currently active.
2006 – Alexander Vasyunov – Left Wing, 58th-overall pick
Vasyunov played 18 games one season for the Devils before ending his NHL career. Two players the Devils passed on are still playing, and both have had significant success against New Jersey in their careers. Brad Marchand and Cal Clutterbuck were taken 71st and 72nd, respectively. Either would have fit into exactly the style of play of the Devils of that era and certainly been better choices than Vasyunov.
2009 Eric Gelinas – Defenseman, 54th-overall pick
Over the course of four seasons, Gelinas scored 40 points in 156 games for the Devils. He ended up getting traded for a third-round pick in 2017 that the Devils turned into Fabian Zetterlund, who was ultimately flipped for winger Timo Meier in 2023, so perhaps without Gelinas, there is no Meier on the Devils. This serves to soften the blow of missing out on Dimitry Orlov (55th overall), Tomas Tatar (60th overall) & Reilly Smith (69th overall). Each of those three is still playing, and each had a huge impact on the outcome of the 2023 regular season and playoffs.
2010 Jon Merrill – Defenseman, 38th-overall pick
Merrill has been a serviceable defenseman in the league for going on 11 years. He played in 216 games for the Devils before getting taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. The Devils passed on the opportunity to pick either Tyler Toffoli or Jason Zucker with that pick, as each went a few slots later. Toffoli would go on to top 20 goals seven different times and win a Cup with the Los Angeles Kings.
2011 – 2020
2012 Damon Severson – Defenseman, 60th-overall pick
Severson was chosen by the Devils immediately after their most recent run to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Kings. For the next decade, he was often the symbol of a franchise rebuilding, starting over, then rebuilding again. He is likely one of the top-four second-round picks in franchise history. Severson contributed in all three phases of the game and put up 263 points in his Devils career. He was playing some of his best hockey in the 2022-23 season, his last in New Jersey. At the conclusion of the season, Severson was traded to Columbus in a sign-and-trade deal, as his success priced him out of a range the Devils could afford.
2014 Joshua Jacobs – Defenseman, 41st-overall pick
In what was Lamoriello’s last draft in New Jersey, he once again did not choose wisely in the second round. The Devils picked Jacobs, who played a total of three NHL games in his career. The Devils passed on Brandon Montour (55th-overall pick) and Ryan Donato (56th-overall pick). Montour was a sensation this postseason for the Florida Panthers and is one of the best offensive defensemen in the league. Donato is also still playing in the NHL. He is a charter member of the Seattle Kraken and a significant reason why they were able to ascend to the playoffs in their second season.
2016 Nathan Bastian – Right Wing, 41st-overall pick
Nate Bastian is one of the crowd favorites, a big winger who has contributed in all three phases, even-strength, penalty kill, and on the power play. The Devils lost Bastian to Seattle in the expansion draft but quickly recovered him in a waiver claim later the same year. He’s a solid bottom-six winger who may not put up the counting stats to justify a second-round selection but will be an integral piece of a Devils playoff run for years to come.
2017 Jesper Boqvist – Center, 36th-overall pick
Until this past season, this pick seemed certain for the miss portion of this list. Boqvist had difficulty transitioning from a highly-touted prospect to a productive forward. He still struggled to find a permanent role in the lineup despite now posting back-to-back ten-goal seasons. As a restricted free agent, it is expected that the Devils will make him a qualifying offer and give him every opportunity to make the team in training camp. But he has yet to solidify himself in the 23-man roster.
While Boqvist may turn into even an above-average player, the Devils would certainly have taken Jason Robertson if they had the chance to re-draft. Robertson is one of the NHL’s emerging stars and was available to the Devils in 2017, as the Dallas Stars selected him three picks later. At 23 years old, he’s already eclipsed 40 goals in back-to-back seasons and is producing over a point per game. This is a huge miss for the Devils but also for most of the rest of the league.
Related: The All-Time Underrated New Jersey Devils Team
Since 2020, the Devils have only had one second-round pick, Seamus Casey, who is currently playing for the University of Michigan. Casey is known for his skating and ability to quarterback the power play. He is likely two years away from contending for a roster spot in New Jersey, but his future appears to be bright.
The second round has traditionally been one of the big hits and big misses throughout the Devils’ 40-year history. While it has seen them acquire the best forward in franchise history, it has also seen them miss on players who never saw action in the NHL while passing on all-time greats. In what is widely considered to be a deep draft, the Devils should have the opportunity to select a player who will impact the team in the future. Continuing to stock the prospect pool is a major focus of Devils management, as the more they have to pay to keep their young core together, the more important it is to have contributors on entry-level deals.
The NHL Draft is scheduled to begin on June 28, 2023, with Round 1, the remaining rounds will take place on June 29, 2023, from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
