Devils NHL Draft Primer: Pick Order, Trade Rumors, Expectations

The New Jersey Devils are preparing for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, scheduled to begin Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET in Buffalo, with rounds two through seven following on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. The article describes New Jersey’s draft profile as having six picks in total, led by a first-round selection within the top 15 and an additional second-rounder obtained through recent roster maneuvering. It frames the team’s prospect pipeline as stronger defensively, while noting a need for more depth and play-driving skill among forwards beyond Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. A key development involved the April transition to GM Sunny Mehta, whose latest move—two days earlier—sent Simon Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov to Calgary in exchange for two conditional first-round picks, a 35th overall pick, and defenseman Etienne Morin. With $13,152,500 in cap space and the 12th overall pick, the piece discusses the possibility of packaging assets in a trade for an established top-six player.