The New Jersey Devils hold the 10th overall pick at the 2024 Entry Draft. They could trade it to bolster the current lineup or keep it and plan for the future.

New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald holds the 10th overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft. 

Considering that the Devils are on the cusp of contending for the Stanley Cup, the team could use an upgrade in goal and another impact player or two to balance the lineup.

Although there is no evidence that the 10th overall pick is in play to acquire a goalie or anyone else, Fitzgerald flipping the pick at the draft in a potential blockbuster is possible.

Ahead of the 2024 event, there have been 61 picks made at 10th overall, with 16 of those players going to teams who acquired the spot via trade. 

History of 10th Overall Trades

The first NHL Draft occurred in 1963 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, QC. The first 10th overall pick in league history was Terry Jones by the New York Rangers, who never played in the NHL.

In 1970, the California Golden Seals had the 10th overall selection (Chris Oddleifson) after a deal with the Montreal Canadiens on May 22, 1970. The Golden Seals acquired Ernie Hicke and this pick in exchange for Francois Lacombe, a first-round pick in 1971, and some cash. 

The following season, on May 25, 1971, the Rangers acquired the 10th spot (Steve Vickers) from the St. Louis Blues for Peter McDuffe.

Interestingly, the Rangers drafted 10th overall for consecutive years after getting the 1972 pick (Al Blanchard) in a transaction with the Detroit Red Wings on May 24, 1972. New York traded Gary Doak and Rick Newell for Joe Zanussi and this draft pick.

For the third straight year, the 10th overall pick was on the move again; this time, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Bob Neely with their first pick, which they acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in a deal on May 15, 1973. 

The Flyers acquired a second-round pick in 1973 and the rights to future Hall of Famer Bernie Parent, while Toronto got Doug Favell and the 10th overall in 1973.

The Canadiens reentered the list with their deal with the Atlanta Flames on May 29, 1973, ensuring they'd select 10th overall (Rich Chartraw) in 1974. The Canadiens dealt away Chuck Arnason in this exchange for the Flames' first-round pick.

After a few years of teams retaining their draft picks, the Canadiens and Flames made another deal involving the 10th overall pick, this time on May 15, 1973. 

In a complex deal involving the Golden Seals, the Canadiens selected Mark Napier 10th overall in 1977. The transition featured six draft picks swapping teams, but the deal did not include any players.

Following a complex trade in 1977, the 10th overall pick (Tom McCarthy) in 1979 ended up going to the Minnesota North Stars in another complicated deal. 

The Washington Capitals originally owned the pick and traded it to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 17, 1977, who swapped it with the North Stars on Oct. 18, 1978.

Five years later, the Buffalo Sabres had the 10th pick (Normand Lacombe) in the 1983 Entry Draft, thanks to a deal with the Flames, who were now in Calgary. Overall, the agreement between the two clubs involved two players and four draft picks in the 1982 and 1983 events. 

Two seasons later, the Los Angeles Kings ended up with the 10th selection (Dan Gratton) at the 1985 Entry Draft when they dealt Charlie Simmer to the Boston Bruins in exchange for their first-round pick.

Most Recent Trades for the 10th Overall Pick

No teams dealt away the 10th overall pick from 1986 to 1991 until the San Jose Sharks acquired the top pick from the North Stars in 1992. 

To protect Mike Craig in the Expansion Draft, Minnesota offered a second-round pick and their first-round pick in 1992, which the Sharks used to select Andrei Nazarov. 

The Quebec Nordiques acquired the 10th overall pick in the 1993 Draft from the Flyers in one of the biggest trades in NHL history. 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM7D2WTX2QA[/embed]

On Jun. 30, 1992, the Nordiques sent Eric Lindros to the Flyers for Ron Hextall, Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, Mike Ricci, a first-round pick in 1994, $15 million cash, and the 10th overall pick in 1993, which turned out to be goalie Jocelyn Thibault. 

Interestingly, the 10th spot in the 1994 Entry Draft also ties into the Lindros trade from 1993. The Capitals ended up with the pick (Nolan Baumgartner) after acquiring the selection from the Flyers. 

Toronto originally owned the pick but flipped it to Quebec in the Mats Sundin for Wendel Clark blockbuster. They then included the pick in the Lindros trade, with Philadelphia dealing it to the Capitals.

The Maple Leafs jumped back into the fray in 1998 when they acquired the 10th overall pick from the Chicago Blackhawks in a swap of four draft picks, which they used this first-round selection on Nikolai Antropov.  

The New York Islanders drafted 10th overall (Branislav Mezei) a year later, thanks to a deal with the Canadiens. Montreal traded away their first-round pick while acquiring Trevor Linden from New York.

In 2002, the Flames selected Eric Nystrom 10th overall, obtaining the spot from the Florida Panthers.

The Rangers initially held the 10th overall pick but traded it in the Pavel Bure deal on Mar. 18, 2002. The Panthers then made a draft picks deal with the Flames on Jun. 22, 2002.

Finally, the last time a team traded away the 10th overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft occurred in 2014. The Ottawa Senators selected (Nick Ritchie) with the pick they acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in the Bobby Ryan deal.

 Historical Perspective

After 61 years, the 10th overall pick has moved 26% of the time. If Fitzgerald deals away his top selection in a potential blockbuster at the 2024 Entry Draft, he will join a list of former general managers who did the same.

Since the draft's inception in 1963, the 10th overall spot has been traded away three times in a year that ends in four, including 1974, 1994, and 2014.