In the last few days, the Devils have made several big changes to the roster for next season. How did they help the team get better?
On Friday night, the Devils picked Russian defenseman Anton Silayev with the 10th pick in the draft. Silayev was rated as one of the best defensemen heading into the draft. Scouts praise him for his skating as well as his physical play. He is known as a more defensive defenseman but scouts also like his puck handling and passing. Silayev said at the draft that he has two years left on his KHL contract so I wouldn’t expect to see him in North America in the immediate future, which is probably for the best anyway. Silayev is only 18 years old and is coming off of his rookie season in the KHL, so he can use some time to mature and develop. Hopefully Silayev will also fill out his frame a little more in that time. Right now, Silayev is listed as 6’7″ and 211 pounds. If he can come over to North America in a few years with some more experience and another 20 or so pounds on him, he could be a real force to be reckoned with on the Devils blue line. Prior to the draft I was all for trading the 10th pick but I think the Devils made a solid choice by keeping the pick and adding Silayev to the organization.
The second day of the draft saw the Devils make more immediate changes to the roster. Akira Schmid and Alex Holtz were traded to Vegas for forward Paul Cotter. Holtz has not found any consistent success at the NHL level since being drafted. After playing all 82 games last season it became clear Holtz didn’t have a real role on the team that he could thrive in. It was time for both the player and organization to go their separate ways. Akira Schmid played great in the Rangers series in 2023 but hasn’t earned an NHL role since then. With Marktrom and Allen set as the Devils tandem heading into next season, and Nico Daws still in the organization, the time was right to move on from Schmid. Paul Cotter is a bottom six forward that wins half of his face-offs and plays with an edge, ideally he will fill the role that Michael McLeod did prior to his legal troubles. Cotter had 233 hits last year with Vegas, which is something no Devil player came remotely close to. Curtis Lazar led the team with 179 hits last year so adding a player like Cotter adds an element to the team the Devils have been severely lacking for years now.
The Devils traded John Marino to Utah for a second round pick in 2024, which was used to select Russian goalie Mikhail Yegorov, and a second round pick in 2025. Marino has been a good but not great defenseman in his two years in New Jersey but the roster space was needed for the other improvements the Devils had in mind… Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon. Marino is a fine NHL player but not enough of a difference maker to help push the Devils to the next level.
The Devils were severely hurt last year by defensive zone breakdowns, so they signed Brett Pesce and and Brendan Dillon on the first day of free agency. Both players are known to be solid defensive defensemen and bring experience to a young team. Combining playoffs and regular season, Dillon has played 975 NHL games and Pesce has played 684 NHL games. Last year, the Devils were forced to rely heavily on young players like Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec in all situations. Hughes and Nemec are good young players but are both offensive minded defensemen, so the additions of Pesce and Dillon really improves the Devils defense. Improving the defense after upgrading the goalie position by adding Markstrom is beyond exciting.
For FAAARRRRR too long now, the Devils have gotten away from the type of team that won three Stanley Cups in nine years. The most recent versions of the Devils have been soft teams afraid of physical contact. The Devils were run over by contending teams last season and several seasons before that. Finally, at long last, the Devils are addressing that need. The Devils have been a fast, creative, explosive, offensive team in recent years. However, the Devils have lacked any real toughness. With the additions of Cotter, Dillon, and Noesen, that need has been addressed. The Devils are a much tougher team now and much more equipped to compete with teams like the reigning champion Florida Panthers.
The changes the Devils have made this week are very exciting for all of us Garden State hockey fans. We won’t have to watch our team be run over next season as they go out of their way to avoid physical contact like they have in recent years. We have a legit starting goalie, we have experienced defensive defensemen. Tings are looking up for the Devils and the chances of returning to the playoffs in 2025 drastically increased over the last few days.
The Morning Skate 