There’s Only One Thing to Do With Devils’ 12th Overall Pick

The New Jersey Devils should aggressively trade their 12th overall pick rather than use it to select a player at the 2026 NHL Draft. Tuesday night’s draft lottery brought a few surprises. The Toronto Maple Leafs moved up to first overall.

The San Jose Sharks jumped eight positions at number two. However, the Devils were unaffected. They’re now locked in at 12 after their 2.

5% chance of moving up to No. 2 didn’t materialize. At least they didn’t drop.

Now, new Devils general manager Sunny Mehta knows the value he holds in his first round draft pick. He won’t have the opportunity at a Gavin McKenna or an Ivar Stenberg. However, he should give himself an opportunity at a top-six forward to finally round out Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt ‘s line.