Devils Have Trade Candidate In Former 1st Round Pick

Oftentimes when you look at teams in their Stanley Cup window, you can also look at the prospect pool to see what the team might be looking to move to acquire help throughout the season. In the case of the New Jersey Devils, they moved a few of their better prospects last season to bring in Timo Meier, but held onto the important ones. The same could very well happen this season if the team is looking at another larger addition.

While players like Alexander Holtz, Simon Nemec, and Luke Hughes are off limits, the Devils have a former first rounder in Chase Stillman that they should be open to moving. The forward was drafted 29th overall in 2021 and hasn't had the most impressive post-draft showing. It is definitely not what the Devils were hoping for from a first round pick, even if he was drafted late.

Stillman started the 2021-22 season with the Sudbury Wolves, scoring nine goals and 20 points in 24 games, but was then traded to the Peterborough Petes and finished the season scoring 10 goals and 29 points in 35 games for them. His playoffs were a bit uninspiring through four games. Last season he scored 19 goals and 48 points in 59 games before scoring just four goals and 13 points in 21 playoff games. In the OHL, a first round pick is expected to at least score at a point-per-game pace. At this rate, the Devils would be better off trading Stillman early as a piece to get someone who can help them win now. He is set to play his first season of professional hockey, so nobody knows exactly what to expect yet.