After hiring Sheldon Keefe to take over head coaching duties for the New Jersey Devils, General Manager Tom Fitzgerald is now moving on to the next item on his docket for the offseason.
On Tuesday, Josh Gold-Smith of TheScore reported that Fitzgerald is entertaining moving on from the team’s 10th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to acquire a top-tier goaltender.
"If we feel it helps us now and in the foreseeable future, then, yes, I’m listening," Fitzgerald told Mike G. Morreale of the NHL on Monday. "I haven’t gotten anything yet, but the more I talk to teams, I say 'Listen, I’m open to moving No. 10, but it’s going to have to be something (significant).'"
If the Devils do end up trading the 10th overall pick, it should be a high enough return to acquire the likes of Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames, Juuse Saros from the Nashville Predators or Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, assuming the Devils can sign one of the latter two to an extension this summer.
Specifically in New Jersey, there is precedent from the organization in trading a top-10 pick for an established goaltender. After making it to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, the Devils cratered in the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, earning the ninth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft.
To soften the blow of the eventual departure of franchise legend Martin Brodeur, New Jersey traded the ninth overall pick (which would be used to select Bo Horvat) to the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Cory Schneider.
Although the Devils only made the playoffs once during Schneider’s seven-year run in the Garden State, the team acquired a goaltender coming off a .927 save percentage over 30 games in the prior year for a top-10 selection. Factoring in trades for goaltenders over the last several years, the 10th overall pick should satisfy the desired return for all three goaltenders listed.
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