Devils GM Corey Chernuka made himself available to the press shortly after the Dispersal Draft Order event wrapped up.
On Monday night, BEARD Hockey held their Dispersal Draft Lottery live event. General managers tuned in from around the world as Commissioners Thomas Gidlow and Dan ("Kevin") Bacon unveiled the draft order, starting from #32 all the way up to #1.
In a bizarre turn of events, the bottom nine picks went to Western Conference teams. The New York Rangers were the event’s darling, landing the 1st overall pick.
The New Jersey Devils landed the 20th overall pick in the snake-style Dispersal Draft, which will also see them make selections in the 45th, 84th, and 109th positions.
General Manager Corey Chernuka spoke to the press after the event.
Elliotte Friedman: What are your initial thoughts on landing the 20th pick? Is it where you wanted to be?
Chernuka: We are happy with the draft position. We have our 1st round draft order pretty much finalized and we are extremely comfortable with the franchise players that will be available in this range.
Pierre LeBrun: Rumors are flying around the league regarding some teams wanting to move up and others wanting to move down. Have the Devils been involved in any discussions with other GM's?
Chernuka: Of course we’ve had discussions with a handful of clubs to get a sense of what they were looking for. But I wouldn’t say we’ve had any serious discussions. We are comfortable with pick #20.
Bob McKenzie: How do you see the first round playing out?
Chernuka: I think we’ll see a lot of older players drop to the late first round area and possibly even the second round. Despite the contract bonus provided for the players picked in the first two rounds, I think an over-emphasis will be placed on youth come draft time.