ON THE CLOCK
Devs eye forwards with top pick
As Devils general manager Ray Shero prepares to make the franchise’s first No. 1-overall selection in the NHL draft Friday night in Chicago, here is the one question that sits before him: Nolan or Nico?
That would be Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier, the undisputed top two prospects, with slightly different games. Although neither is projected as a generational talent — like Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid in the previous two years — both are considered to be terrific players who could help an NHL team i mmediately. With that in mind, it seems unlikely Shero is going to trade down in a draft that is supposed to be deeper than it is top heavy — but all of that could change if the right deal comes along.
Though Shero has told reporters he is comfortable holding on to the pick and that he has his mind made up on who to take if he does, it is going to be an interesting choice for a club that is desperate to restock their talent pool after five straight seasons out of the playoffs.
Patrick will turn 19 in September, and the 6-foot2, 200-pound Winnipeg native put his No. 1 status in jeopardy with a recent sports-hernia surgery that ended his previous season with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings early. When he was younger, he also suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to miss half a season.
Yet it seems any fears he might be injury-prone were put to rest with a solid showing at the scouting combine in Buffalo at the beginning of June.
In 2015-16, Patrick emerged as the top prospect in his draft class by putting up 41 goals and 61 assists in 72 games, and most scouts consider the two-way center to be the “most complete” player in the draft.
On the other hand, Hischier is an 18-year-old from Switzerland who grew up playing for SC Bern, one of the top international teams. He came over to play in Canada this past season, putting up 38 goals and 48 assists in 57 games for Halifax of the QMJHL, being named the league’s rookie of the year. He also had his stock rise while scoring four goals and adding three assists in f ive games for Team Switzerland in the World Junior Championships.
Hischier is 6-2 and 179 pounds, and as a left-handed shot, he might project more as a left wing than as a center. But his upside is mostly seen with terrific skating ability and poise with the puck, a game predicated more on being a playmaker.
Either way, the Devils would seem to be getting a very good player. Now it’s just up to Shero to decide who it is.