Ray Shero remains mum on drafting Jack Hughes
Mike Zeisberger of nhl.com: What do people expect from New Jersey Devils’ general manager, Ray Shero? Why would he tip his hand completely with around three weeks to go until the NHL Draft in Vancouver? New Jersey drafting the best player available is likely given that there is a debate in this draft.
There appear to be no trades in the works and New Jersey has been mum for the most part. The tendency is the following:
“The owners will know. I don’t know if I did that on purpose in 2017. Whatever the case, it’ll be good for us. We have the first overall pick, three second-round picks, two third-round picks, so we have a lot of those. Our scouts, our personnel guys, they’ve worked hard scouting these guys, so I wouldn’t (keep it from them). We always try to see if we can get a consensus.”
Jack Hughes feels like the number one draft pick at this point barring something unforeseen.
Rangers staying with Kaapo Kakko plus more
Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com: Jeff Gorton discusses the rebuild and waiting to see what else may come from the NHL Draft. Kaapo Kakko figures to be the consensus number two pick. There will be many opportunities to move up and down for trades and such.
The New York Rangers’ general manager has his work cut out as far as the rebuild. So far, he has done a nice job. Fortunately, he has the coach in David Quinn that works well with younger players. Every step of progress will feature slow progress.
Five extension-eligible veterans who will get PAID.
Jared Clinton of The Hockey News: Some veterans who will get paid come free agency time (July 1st). These players include Roman Josi, Taylor Hall, Alex Pietrangelo, Nicklas Backstrom, and Torey Krug. Please note that much can change in the defensive aspect. Josi is on one of the most team-friendly deals in the history of contracts. As for Alex Pietrangelo, he can be that “glue” player.
Finally, it becomes vital that New York and New Jersey focus on the draft (Kaapo and Hughes). Signing players is a bonus and in this time both teams must get it right. New Jersey must keep Taylor Hall and Hughes helps. Nicklas Backstrom likely re-signs with Washington but expect it to be costly.
