Devils Draft Bullets: Silayev, Marino & More
Notes on the New Jersey Devils drafting Anton Silayev, John Marino trade rumors, and more ahead of Day 2 of the NHL Draft
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The first round of the NHL Draft came and went without much fanfare, as is usually the case. The New Jersey Devils stood pat at No. 10 and made a bit of a surprise pick, selecting mammoth Russian defenseman Anton Silayev.
Let's review the pick, trade rumors around John Marino and Alexander Holtz and what else the Devils could do on Day 2 of the draft.
Silayev: Rare Combo of Size and High-End Skating
While I had Silayev on my long list of prospects the Devils could target at No. 10, I decided against writing about him because I thought he would've been off the board much earlier, perhaps somewhere in the top five. Bob McKenzie had him ranked No. 4 in his final draft ranking, while Corey Pronman had him mocked at No. 3 to the Anaheim Ducks.
Given that Silayev is 6-foot-7, 207 pounds, it's not unreasonable to think a defenseman of his stature would have gone off the board much earlier than he did. It's not hard to see what the Devils like in him, too, even though he's far from the flashiest player.
The first thing that stands out about Silayev is his skating is outstanding, especially for someone his size. Most players his size cannot skate like him, and as David St. Louis points out in his video for Elite Prospects, Silayev's mechanics are excellent. I'm sure this appealed to the Devils the most: the rare combo of his size and high-end skating.
Silayev has some things to work on for sure. His puck skills are below average, and there are concerns about his hockey sense. But still, for someone to be such a great skater at his size is incredibly rare. And to think, he only turned 18 in April. He played most of the KHL season as a 17-year-old and logged top-four minutes. His production for a 17-year-old was also unique:
Silayev is likely not yet even close to what he can be. Bigger players like him usually take longer to develop than someone who's 5-foot-10 or 6-foot-0, so the best is likely yet to come if he develops properly.
The Devils also did not reach for Silayev. In fact, they likely found value. As mentioned, he was fourth in McKenzie's rankings, which surveys NHL scouts. He was the first-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting, fourth by Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino and FloHockey's Chris Peters, and third by FC Hockey, to name a few.
Plenty of scouting services ranked Silayev as a top-five prospect, and I see it because he's such a unicorn. While I don't love the Devils picking him there, given that Sam Dickinson and Zeev Buium were available, taking him at ten was more than justifiable. The upside is real, especially defensively. He could be a high-end, shutdown defender if he hits his ceiling, so this looks like a good selection.
Marino & Holtz on Seravalli's Trade Board
Most trades at the NHL Draft occur on Day 2, so could the Devils make a move today? They did acquire Vitek Vaněček on Day 2 of the 2022 draft. The Martin Nečas dream is probably dead, though you never know. But that doesn't mean the Devils won't make a move.
Given the rumors around the Devils signing Brett Pesce in free agency, it's not a surprise to see John Marino's name pop up on Frank Seravalli's latest trade board. If the Devils sign Pesce, it will likely come in around $5.5 to $6 million annually on a six-year deal, so they'd have no choice but to move Marino and his $4.5 million cap hit.
The Devils could trade Marino for futures and not take on significant money, but I don't think that'd be the right move. If there's a hockey trade to be made with Marino, general manager Tom Fitzgerald should look to make it, especially if it's for a top-six winger.
There are some quality top-six wingers available in free agency. But I worry about the Devils doing all their business in free agency since many deals handed out on July 1 tend to be overpayments. If Pesce plans to sign with the Devils, could they work something out with Carolina that sends Marino for Nečas? It'd probably cost more than Marino to acquire Nečas, but that's just a thought.
Michael Gallagher of Lower Broad Pucks reported that the Nashville Predators were one team interested in Marino. The Predators don't have much on their NHL roster that would appeal to the Devils, but that's something to keep an eye on.
Seravalli also mentioned that the Vancouver Canucks are a team interested in Marino since Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin are familiar with him from their time in Pittsburgh with the Penguins. Like the Predators, I'm not sure they have a top-six caliber winger that'd appeal to the Devils. But the point is there seems to be a fair amount of interest in Marino league-wide, so perhaps Fitzgerald can swing a hockey trade.
As for Holtz, I'm not surprised to see his name out there. I've wondered if he could be part of a package to pry Rutger McGroarty out of Winnipeg. If we're using the Cutter Gauthier trade as a comp, the Philadelphia Flyers traded Gauthier for Jamie Drysdale — a middle-of-the-lineup player — and a second-round pick in 2025.
Holtz looks like a middle-of-the-lineup player despite playing down the lineup in New Jersey this year; he did total 16 goals. Would a 2025 second and Holtz cut it for McGroarty? That probably depends on what the Jets think of Holtz, but it might work.
The Devils could also package Holtz and Marino together to get a top-six winger. I don't know what that'd look like, but it's something that Fitzgerald could consider because it could help them acquire a pretty quality scoring option to complement Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier.
Will the Devils Use All Their Picks?
I mentioned this in my post yesterday, but I wonder if the Devils will use one of their later picks today to acquire negotiating rights to a UFA they like. They don't have picks in the second, fourth, and seventh rounds. But third or fifth-round picks usually get the job done for UFA rights.
There's probably not much value to the Devils using all their picks on prospects today, so if Fitzgerald can move one of his later selections for UFA rights to a player they think they have a good chance of signing, he could do that.
If that doesn't materialize, don't be surprised if the Devils trade down at a couple of different points to gain some more draft capital. Perhaps that'd help them acquire negotiating rights for a UFA, but it'd also help them accumulate more picks and add more prospects to their system if that's the route they go and they can't find a deal they like for UFA rights.
Anton Silayev Highlights
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