FEATURE: A New Asset in Hand

As the dust settles on the departure of Devils stalwarts Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, the focus will soon turn to the assets the club has received in the trade with the New York Islanders.
Mason Jobst and A.J. Greer, at least in the near term, will play with the Binghamton Devils. Long-term, the Islanders first-round pick that the Devils acquired will become the focal point of the deal.
First, a lot must happen in the three months before the 2021 Draft takes place. An exhausting process even in a normal season, evaluating prospects worldwide has been especially difficult this year. When the pandemic hit last March, play in the world's amateur leagues was largely complete. In some places this season, it has barely begun.

A lot of scouting has been done by video, a tricky medium at the best of times. Though there has been more in-person access as the season wore on, video scouting has inherent problems because it is much more difficult to evaluate a player when he doesn't have the puck. Other intangibles such as body language, interaction with teammates, and warmup habits are harder to pin down.
"It's a strange year and some scouts have told me that they will lean heavily toward players they have scouted in person (instead) of the players they have only viewed on video," said Hockeyprospect.com's Mark Edwards.
The second factor is the seriously curtailed schedule, especially in the Canadian Hockey League. That league - three circuits and 60 teams in all - will soon attempt a post-season tournament in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League, but the Ontario Hockey League has not even begun play yet. The Memorial Cup, awarded every year for a century, is in danger of being cancelled for the second consecutive season.
Many of the CHL's top draft-eligibles played in Europe, with most back in Canada (some remain in quarantine) before departing for the World U18 Championship in Dallas later this month. Among that group is Brandt Clarke, the younger brother of Devils prospect, Graeme.
Given all that has transpired, or more aptly, not transpired, the U18 Worlds stand to be the single most valuable scouting opportunity of the season. But even it has a wrinkle: the QMJHL is not allowing its players to Dallas later this month, and with it four or five solid first-round prospects will not suit up for their country. The WHL and OHL are allowing their players to attend.
Add it all up and when names started being called on July 23, it will mark the end of a long, arduous and unconventional process.
Right now, the Islanders position in the NHL standings translates to the Devils picking about 25th.
It's entirely possible that the players listed here will already be taken by the time the freshly acquired pick is utilized. Conversely, some may not be picked at all in the first round. The situation is fluid and will remain so until Draft day. But right now these handful of players give a reasonable glimpse of the type of player the Devils can expect to get.
Daniil Chayka, D, Guelph (OHL) - A teammate of Devils prospects Nate Schnarr and Nico Daws on the 2019 OHL champion Guelph Storm, he was forced to go to his native Russia to play this season. As a result of that move, it's tough to gauge his development but he remains a clear first-round prospect.
Zachary Dean, F, Gatineau (QMJHL) - One of the top risers in the entire class, Dean has an impressive collection of skills and the puck is glued to his stick. He needs to work on his decision-making to be an effective NHLer.
Mason McTavish, F, Peterborough (OHL) - A pure sniper who still has some scouts concerned about his skating, he went to Switzerland to play with the stalled OHL schedule. He's improved his skating overseas and remains an elite goal-scorer.
Brennan Othmann F, Flint (OHL) - Othmann played the entire season in Switzerland, some of it with McTavish. He was a midget teammate of Brandt Clarke and Shane Wright, who is the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Aatu Raty, F, Karpat (Liiga) - He was once projected in the top five but he has stalled this season and was left off his country's World Junior squad. Janne Kuokkanen and Raty played together in the fall for Karpat.
Shai Buium, D, Sioux City (USHL) - Another riser who is the teammate of Devils prospect Ethan Edwards. He already has an NHL frame but also an interesting personal story: he grew up in San Diego as the son of recent Israeli immigrants.
These half-dozen players are merely a primer. At least twice that many could go roughly 25th overall and are not listed because the evaluation process is not nearly complete. Some players will not be fully scrutinized because they haven't played enough in accessible arenas/locales.
"Many scouts are still scrambling to see players in person," said Edwards. "The U18s will help in that respect.
"The thing I'll be interested to watch is where players with very limited games get selected."