The New Jersey Devils remain without a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and have seven picks in the draft, beginning with the 58th overall pick.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft Guide
Since moving to New Jersey in 1982, the Devils have made 38 trades on either the first or second day of the draft.
Devils Making Their Mark on the Draft Floor
In 1987, the Devils traded for Tom Kurvers of the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a third-round and tenth-round pick at the draft. The former Hobey Baker Award winner and 1986 Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens isn’t remembered so much for his time in the Garden State. He’s mostly remembered as the centerpiece targeted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Oct. 1989 trade for a 1991 first-round selection, which was used to select Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer.
The Devils’ draft day trade history has yielded more positive results than negative. Last year, they acquired goaltender Vitek Vanacek from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a swap of second-round draft picks and a third-round pick. In 52 games last season, he put up a respectable 2.45 goals against average and .911 save percentage as the team returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
In 2013, the Devils traded the ninth-overall selection to the Vancouver Canucks (with which they drafted Bo Horvat) in exchange for goaltender Cory Schneider in anticipation of the end of Martin Brodeur’s legendary career. The young netminder signed a seven-year, $42 million contract after splitting the net his first season with the club.
Schneider had a couple of strong seasons, but injuries ultimately had him fall short of expectations, and the final two years of his contract were bought out in the fall of 2020.
Zach Parise
On June 21, 2003, the Devils sent their first-round pick (Marc-Antoine Pouliot, 22nd overall) and their second-round pick (Jean-Francois Jacques, 68th overall) to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for the 17th overall selection, Zach Parise. The move paid off for the franchise as the eventual captain and three-time team MVP led them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, the second captain in team history to lead them to the Final after Scott Stevens. He spent seven seasons with the franchise before signing as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild in 2012.
Kyle Palmieri
The 2015 Draft saw Kyle Palmieri traded to his hometown team from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a second and third-round pick, reuniting him with his former coach John Hynes from the US National Team Development Program. At the beginning of the 2018-19 season, he became only the fourth player in NHL history to begin a season with at least two goals in three consecutive games to open a season.
It was easy for Devils fans to like Palmieri. During his time with the club, he didn’t put up huge numbers, but he was a consistent player with the team during his tenure.
Brian Gionta
The Rochester, New York native made a name for himself early in his career, winning the Stanley Cup as a member of the 2002-03 Devils. The fiery, small forward put up 48 goals in the 2005-06 season, playing alongside Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez (who also was acquired on the same draft day from the Dallas Stars for two second-round picks).
Brian Gionta played six seasons for the Devils after captaining Boston College to an NCAA National Championship in his senior season.
Travis Zajac
Selected 20th overall in the 2004 NHL Draft, Travis Zajac would go on to play 15 seasons in the NHL, all with the Devils except for 13 games with the New York Islanders. In Sept. 2021, he signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the team that drafted him 17 years prior. A member of the ‘ZZ Pop Line’ with Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner in the late 2000s, the team’s long-time center has cemented his legacy as one of the premiere players in franchise history. He holds the franchise record with 401 consecutive games played, a mark he set by passing Ken Daneyko in 2011.
Martin Brodeur
In 1990, the Calgary Flames and Devils made a blockbuster deal at the draft that would shape the franchises for years.
The Flames sent the 20th overall selection, plus two second-round picks that amounted to Brodeur, David Hurlock, and Chris Gotziaman, in exchange for the 11th overall pick Trevor Kidd and second-round pick Vesa Viitakoski.
The larceny of this is something only history can look back on. Hindsight is 20/20, but this is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, Olympic champion, and arguably the greatest goaltender of all time getting traded for a highly touted goaltender in Kidd, who never lived up to his potential or expectations. It’s pretty safe to say the Devils did quite well on draft day making that trade for the young netminder from Montreal, Quebec.