Fitzgerald: 'Excited That We Hit the Lottery' | FEATURE

As the Devils secured the second-overall pick for the 2022 NHL Draft Tuesday night, General Manager Tom Fitzgerald is excited to add another core piece to the franchise.
"For sure it's exciting, I'm excited for our fan base," Fitzgerald said following the Draft Lottery. "Adding another core piece to our group down the road is everything every team wants to continue to do, and this will allow us to do that. So who that player may be, no idea right now, but we're excited that we hit the lottery."

This is the fourth time the Devils will have a pick in the top-five since the 2017 NHL Draft where New Jersey selected its now Captain, Nico Hischier. The Devils picked Jack Hughes first-overall in 2019, and Hughes' younger brother, Luke, fourth-overall last year.
New Jersey moves up, gets the second-overall pick, and the draft is 58 days away. What is next for the club? It's time for Fitzgerald to work with his staff to analyze players and decide who could be picked when the Devils are on the clock.
"Mark Dennehy along with Paul Castron have really dissected and they've done their job," Fitzgerald said Tuesday. "I think the part that we'll see and you'll hear about is there's a lot of players that have similar projection, similar upside, different positions and that's what's going to make this decision hard. Because there is no slam dunk because there are a bunch of really good hockey players that we can add to our stables. So that's a good problem to have. But Mark and Paul and their staff will figure this out.
"There's a body of work, there's an evaluation, projection of every single player in the draft that our scouts are tasked to do. There seems to be a lot of the same projected upside with a bunch of these players. That's what makes it difficult to figure out which one fits us and which one is going to be the one with the highest upside."
With so many high picks over the last few years, and a healthy farm system, the Devils' second-overall pick becomes a solid asset. There is the option to trade the pick; however, Fitzgerald will assess his options and do whatever is best for his franchise.
"My job is to improve this hockey club. Not just in the near future, but for the long term to become a Stanley Cup contending team year after year. So we're dealt all kinds of assets, whether it's a player that's developed in our system, whether it's a free agent that we signed, whether it's a draft pick, whether it's a pick itself. My job is to improve the club as best as I possibly can, using the assets the League has given us."
Whether Fitzgerald uses the pick or trades it, the Devils organization is thrilled with the outcome of the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery, including Devils head coach Lindy Ruff, according to New Jersey's GM.
"The entire organization is thrilled. (Ruff) did text me me telling me to stop looking so stern on TV."