Target high-upside youngsters like Luke Evangelista and Nico Daws as New Jersey’s retooled roster looks to reclaim its contender status and shake off last season’s disappointing finish.
Puck drop is nearly here, and with training camps opening across the league, it's officially fantasy draft season. It's been a busy offseason, full of blockbuster trades, big-name signings and roster overhauls that are only just starting to settle.
We're going team by team to help you prepare, flagging a sleeper worth stashing, a breakout candidate ready to take off, and a bust that might not be worth the price you'll pay to draft him. Next up: the New Jersey Devils.
New Jersey finished last season 42-37-3 for 87 points, seventh in the Metropolitan Division and ten points shy of a wild-card spot, a disappointing result for a team that entered the year with real expectations.
The offseason brought real change, though with Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Jack and Luke Hughes still forming the core of a talented, ambitious roster, New Jersey heads into the season hoping a retooled group under new management can finally deliver the consistency that's eluded the franchise in recent years.
Sleeper: Luke Evangelista & Nico Daws
It was a surprising move to see the Nashville Predators part with a former second-round pick and emerging prospect in Evangelista for a first- and second-round pick, especially after Evangelista broke out for 56 points last season. The Devils jumped at the chance to land the 24-year-old, and it could pay off for their future.
While Jack Hughes is expected to slot in with his usual winger, Jesper Bratt, once again, manning the other wing as of now is Anthony Mantha, who despite a solid 33-goal, 64-point campaign, landed only a two-year deal at a $4.75 million cap hit. That's likely because the 31-year-old carries real questions about sustaining that level of production, along with injury concerns, which makes a younger player like Evangelista a far more exciting option.
Right now, Evangelista is projected to slot into the third line behind Mantha, but if injuries or struggles arise, he could easily overtake him and become Hughes and Bratt's long-term winger, given the significant age gap between the two.
There's real runway for Evangelista to claim a top-six spot, and he's currently going as low as 145th overall on average, a price that undersells his upside if he lands alongside Hughes and Bratt, where surpassing his 56-point career high, potentially by a wide margin, is well within reach.
Daws presents a similar case as a younger alternative to presumed starter Jake Allen, who is 36. At just 25, Daws is expected to open the season as the backup, but given real opportunity, there's a path for him to take over the job outright.
His first three NHL seasons were a struggle, but over his last two seasons of call-ups, he's posted a 5-2-0 record with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage across nine appearances, evidence that his game may finally be rounding into form. Owned in just two percent of Yahoo leagues, Daws is largely undrafted, but he's a name worth watching on the waiver wire if he starts cutting into Allen's workload.
Breakout: Jack Hughes & Jesper Bratt Duo
People forget just how good Hughes and Bratt both are, with injuries being the main reason Hughes isn't viewed as an easy first-round talent. In fact, his average draft position is as low as 19th overall, which is absurd for a player who has posted the seventh-best points-per-game average in the NHL over the last four seasons, racking up 320 points in 263 games, well ahead of names like Kirill Kaprizov, Jason Robertson and Martin Necas, all of whom are being drafted ahead of him.
The center position is deep, but landing a player with consistent 100-point pace and Hart Trophy upside as late as pick 19, provided he stays healthy, is a clear value. The same logic applies to his linemate Bratt, who is going as low as 77th overall on average and carries near-90-point upside if Hughes can stay on the ice.
Bust: Anthony Mantha
There's likely a reason more teams weren't willing to pay up for Mantha this offseason. The 31-year-old has rarely approached the kind of numbers he posted in his 64-point campaign last season and carries a lengthy injury history.
Add in the arrival of a younger, more exciting option who has already shown he can produce at a similar clip, and Mantha's value takes a real hit, with a demotion to middle- or bottom-six minutes a real possibility as the season progresses. Despite that risk, his average draft position sits around the 142nd pick, a range where far better, higher-upside options are available.
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