Devils NHL Draft Primer: Pick Order, Trade Rumors, Expectations
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James NicholsThu, June 25, 2026 at 2:13 PM UTC·3 min readThe 2026 NHL Entry Draft sits just a day away, and the New Jersey Devils enter it with a decent arsenal of draft capital.
The first round starts Friday at 7 P.M. ET in Buffalo, with rounds two through seven following the next day in the usual decentralized setup at 11 A.M.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter a season that fell short of expectations, New Jersey holds a handful of selections and a front office that has already shown it isn’t afraid to shake things up. Here’s the full picture on what they are bringing to the war room.
Devils Draft Picks
1st Round – 12th overall
2nd Round – 35th overall (from New York Rangers)
2nd Round – 44th overall
4th Round – 108th overall (from Winnipeg Jets)
5th Round – 140th overall
6th Round – 172nd overall
That gives them six picks in total, headlined by a first-rounder inside the top 15 and an extra second-rounder that landed via recent maneuvering.
Devils History At The Draft
Tom Fitzgerald’s time as general manager featured plenty of movement. The 2022 draft delivered Simon Nemec second overall and Seamus Casey in the second round, pieces that looked like foundational building blocks at the time. A year later came the bigger swing: the Timo Meier acquisition, which cost the Devils a conditional first-round pick and other assets in exchange for top-six skill.
AdvertisementAdvertisementIn hindsight, the returns are mixed, but it fit the pattern of aggressive asset deployment to push a young core forward.
The 2024 draft brought Anton Silayev at 10th overall, a big, mobile Russian defenseman who immediately slotted at the top of a pipeline already featuring Luke Hughes and Casey.
Last summer’s class, led by Conrad Fondrk, added depth up front.
Fitzgerald —sometimes buying, sometimes selling, and sometimes doing nothing at all.
That era ended in April when Sunny Mehta took over as general manager. Mehta’s first major move came just two days ago: Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov headed to Calgary in exchange for two conditional first-round picks (top-10 protected, one each from Vegas in 2027 and Colorado in 2028), the 35th overall pick this weekend, and 21-year-old defenseman Etienne Morin.
The Devils’ defensive pipeline remains the stronger group in their cupboard of prospects.
What they’ve lacked in recent years is consistent forward depth and play-driving skill beyond Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. With Mehta now steering the ship, however, will New Jersey even pick in the first round?
Trade Speculation: Packaging the 12th Pick-Plus for a Splash?
With the 12th overall selection plus the fresh assets from the Nemec deal, the Devils have legitimate trade ammunition heading into draft weekend. Mehta has already shown a willingness to be decisive, and the organization has $13,152,500 in cap space. That combination raises the very real possibility of packaging the 12th pick with their newly acquired capital in a bigger deal for an established top-six player—preferablly one to play with Jack and Jesper Bratt.
AdvertisementAdvertisementA big splash move accelerates the timeline around the Hughes-Hischier-Bratt core, which Mehta believes can win, and soon.
The Devils missed the playoffs in 2026 despite flashes of potential, and adding immediate help should be more appealing than waiting for another high draft pick to develop. The Devils don’t have the time to wait as the core continues to age and as we inch another year towards Jack heading to unrestricted free agency.
Mehta’s background suggests he’ll be calculated rather than impulsive, but the pieces are there for something meaningful if the right offer materializes before or on the draft floor.
Expect some noise around the 12th pick—whether they keep it to add a skilled winger or use it as the centerpiece in a larger package remains one of the more intriguing storylines heading into Friday.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
