It’s been a tough season for the New Jersey Devils, in a purgatory between “too rough of a first half to contend for the postseason” and “too talented to bottom out and get a top draft pick.”
The unfortunate bit of business within that scope is that the future is relatively bleak as well.
The Devils’ prospect pool is middling to say the least, recently placing 22nd in The Athletic’s ongoing pipeline rankings.
The reality is, the Devils’ blue-chip prospects have either graduated to full-time NHLers (Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec) or have floundered a bit since being drafted (Anton Silayev).
Outside of a couple of truly projectable talents, the Devils don’t really have a whole lot to offer at any particular position.
Most prospects have concluded their seasons at this point, with the exception of a couple of players whose seasons have progressed into the playoffs and the Utica Comets’ players.
With that in mind, let’s talk shop about the overarching state of the Devils’ prospect pool:
The Devils only have two high-end prospects in Silayev and Mikhail Yegorov. Their other highly-touted players have become full-timers.
Silayev is a frustrating one – he was drafted on the premise that his 6’7 frame, in conjunction with his unicorn-esque skating ability, would serve his floor extremely well. That it has, as it’s crystal clear at this point in time that he will be a minute-munching defensive defenseman at least.
The point production and puck-moving ability have been nonexistent in Silayev’s game since he was drafted in 2024 (he had just three points in 61 games this season in the KHL), but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have utility.
His combination of size and skating is one-of-a-kind, and with that comes elite potential in defending the rush and exiting the zone with possession.
If he develops a first pass or some patience in his game when he’s operating in the offensive zone, he could be a first-pair player. Time is winding down in that regard, though.
As for Yegorov, he had a bit of a down year behind what can only be described as a disastrous Boston University defense in a breathtakingly chaotic season for them. The on-paper talent didn’t mesh whatsoever, particularly defensively, and, as such, Yegorov was left out to dry far more than he should have been.
With that, he still sported solid enough numbers to get ranked ninth in the EliteProspects U23 goalie rankings.
Yegorov’s positioning, puck-tracking abilities, and athleticism are top-notch, and he’s looking like a should-be starting-caliber goaltender in the NHL in due time.