2012 Trade Deadline: The Devils Future Draft Picks

First of all, we should be rooting against the Caps so that 2nd round pick is as high as possible. Right now it would be about the 42nd overall pick which would be as good as could be expected. I’d hate to see it be 50th or higher.

Depending on where Zajac, Tallinder and Larsson are health wise I could see standing pat.

I remember Ben Walter because he made the roster in NHL video game that year. Which was weird

I doubt we get the conditional Romano pick, I would have to think it’s conditional upon him actually playing in the NHL.

I don’t think they’ll give up the circumvention pick this year but they probably should.

And probably next year’s too, depending on the outcome of next season and the depth of next year’s draft. Considering that the Devils are low on prospects, it would be smart to load up on them now instead of later. If we were willing to give up a goalie prospect, and maybe Tedenby for the sake of improving their chances at a good playoff run, it would be smart. Our pick could potentially go into getting Malcom Subban, PK’s younger brother, who leads the list of North American goalies, and shows great potential.

I’ve gotten some complaints about obtaining a goalie prospect before, but Malcom looks more promising than most of our prospects thus far, and could potentially be a future NHL netminder. He looks calm, fast, and smart, so why not?

Don’t trade any draft picks unless you really believe this team can win the cup. I don’t think they are there yet and the system needs to be replenished especially with forwards.

Couldn’t agree more with what many have said.
Get rid of the Kovy Penalty pick now while the Devils most likely will finish the season higher in the Draft order compared to last season. The Devils clearly need more bodies in the pipeline, and two 2nd Rounders could be used to either jump up higher in the 1st Round and nab a decent player, or used to stock the AHL with prospects. At the very least, a second 2nd Rounder makes up for foreiting the 1st Round Pick. And that Washington 2nd Round Pick stands a shot at being earlier in the 2nd Round than NJ’s anyway.
There are of course no guarantees in the NHL, and NO ONE knows what’ll happen two years down the road. Heaven for bid the next two seasons are train wrecks… Big Lou would kick himself for hanging onto that penalty and possibly giving up a great 1st Round Draft pick when this years draft crop isn’t too deep to begin with. Only teams in the Top 10 Overall will have a decent player in the 1st Round this year. Of course there are always exceptions in the later rounds, but generally, it is the players in the 1st Round that are more guaranteed to become amazing players that teams build their Franchise around.
As for goalies, I agree that Wedgewood is the goalie of the future in NJ. Clermont and Kinkaid could POSSIBLY be 1-B’s or, more likely, good back-ups like a Clemmensen. But that is still a ways down the road. Would I like Marty to play like he used to 10 years ago and continue breaking records… sure, what Devils fan wouldn’t?! But that is unrealistic. He’s aging, slowing down, and losing his mojo… as much as I hate to admit it. This could and very possibly should be his last year as #1. In the meantime, over the summer, hopefully Brodeur will take a lower-paying salary, and give NJ the chance to land someone young and talented who could hold the fort in the meantime, like a Jonathan Bernier, Pekka Rinne, Anders Lindback, Jonas Gustavsson, Tukka Rask, Sergei Bobrovsky, Henrik Karlsson, or Cory Schneider.
As for what we could give up at the trade Deadline in order to get a good player whether it be a depth forward or offensive D-man, NJ has plenty of defensive prospects and an additional 2nd Rounder if need be. Sure, I don’t want to give up Urbom, Merrill or Burlon. But Taormina, Fayne and Eric Gelinas have been playing decently enough and continue to show good potential to justify being part of a trade. Then there is Tedenby, who has shown glimpses of brilliance along with moments of dread, and could still be a draw for some team looking for a small forward with high offensive potential. And this is probably the last year that NJ could use Corrente’s former 1st Round status as trade bait before ANY NHL team, including NJ gives up on him completely.
One last subject as I bounce around here. I like the IDEA of getting Marek Zidlicky more than actually obtaining him. If NJ was completely healthy on defense, and there’s a good chance for that by the playoffs, the defensemen they’d have on D are: Tallinder, Greene, Salvador, Volchenkov, Larsson, Foster, Fayne, and Taormina. Obviously Taormina goes back down to Albany, that’s a given come playoffs. But one of Foster or Fayne would have to be scratched for Zidlicky to play. While Foster is pretty good offensively (mostly just on the PP), his defense is atrocious. And as for Fayne, he’s not very offensive, but his defensive skill is quite good enough to be a 2nd pair D-man on almost any roster. Zidlicky on the other hand is kind of a mixture of both Foster and Fayne with some added tenacity. He’s offensive like Foster but without the big shot, and his defensive skill isn’t nearly as bad as Foster, but not as good, at least to me, as Fayne’s. Of course, going into the Playoffs, any team would love to have extra D-men to fall back on or dress 7 D-men if needed. To me, if you want to seriously get Zidlicky, give Minnesota Foster in return. Foster is too good for the AHL, but too bad to be kept as a 3rd pair D-man. As a 7th D-man? Sure, I’d take him. But if Foster is gone with a Zidlicky trade, it comes down to Fayne or Zidlicky getting that final spot on D. Me? I say give that spot to Fayne. Yes, yes yes, NJ NEEDS puck-movers on Defense who can jump in with some goals as well as QB the Power Play. But for my money, defense wins games and championships. I’d rather have Greene, Fayne, Salvador, Larsson, Tallinder and Volchenkov as my D-men group. At least that way, all of them play great to good Defense, with Greene, Larsson, and occasionally Fayne throwing in some points. With Zidlicky instead of Fayne, you trade goals against for a few extra points coming from your d-men. Not worth it. Either keep the Defense the way it is, or trade prospects for a depth forward. Screw getting Zidlicky. He’s also older than I’d like to see. I like NJ having a younger, faster team.

You guys talked about the conditional pick in the Romano trade but what about the Hunter/Rolston deal. There was some talk of another conditional pick.

Never heard anything after the day of the trade, even NHL.com has it as Hunter for Rolston straight up.

Did anyone ever hear of the pick in the trade and what had to happen for it to kick in?