Devils Have Close Ties to Several Draft Prospects I DRAFT

The New Jersey Devils have the No. 4-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, taking place in less than three weeks.
And at least one player on the current roster has lobbied management, at least somewhat, to consider selecting a certain player with the same namesake with that fourth pick on July 23.
"If he's (available) I would want us to take him," center Jack Hughes said of his draft-eligible brother
Luke Hughes
. "I'd love to have him in New Jersey, but if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out."
Luke, a product of the United States National Team Development Program like his brother, didn't hide his hopes of joining Jack in New Jersey.
"It would be unbelievable to go to the Devils," said the defenseman Luke, who will likely will eventually be the third Hughes, joining Quinn and Jack, in the NHL. "My brother (Jack) clearly wants me to be there. It would be super cool to play with him. I'd love that. At the same time there are 32 great teams out there and I'd be happy to go to any one of those teams."

Of course, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald held his views on the matter close to the vest.
"We're going to be true to the process," he said when asked about selecting Luke. "I'm sure the Hughes family is very excited about where Luke is going to be … it must be exciting to have two NHL players under the same roof, never mind a future NHL player.
"Must be the water in the Hughes' house."
In reality, the Devils have three players in the organization that could do some
lobbying to be reunited with either family
or a former teammate.
Other possible picks for New Jersey include defenseman Brandt Clarke, the younger brother of Devils prospect Graeme Clarke, and Swedish forward William Ekland, a Djurgarden teammate of Devils' first-round pick (seventh overall) in 2020 Alexander Holtz.
"Graeme speaks very highly of (the Devils). They run a very good organization," Brandt said. "He loves the front office. He tells me good things. They treated him very well.
"If I got to play with him for the next 10-15 years, that would be a dream come true. I would be really up for that, and stoked if that ends up happening."
With Michigan defenseman Owen Power being the consensus opinion to be called first off the board to the Buffalo Sabres, that means that the Devils will have a chance to draft at least one and possibly have a choice between all three prospects connected to the organization.
The Devils have stockpiled a lot of quality forwards in past drafts. So defense appears to be an area that they'd like to add some talent. Which is where a tough decision may have to be made in regard to Hughes or Clarke.
Hughes is a good two-way player, though tends to lean more on the defensive posture than his brother Quinn. Clarke, a much-coveted right-hand shot by the Devils, is the more offensive-type of blueliner and potential power-play quarterback, though questions remain about his skating ability.
"Knowing what the Devils need, not only positionally but where that player might play at the point, with Luke Hughes, I think you have the best of both worlds," NHL.com draft expert Mike Morreale said. "My gut instinct, and the player I have the Devils taking right now, is Luke Hughes."
"If you make the decision on Luke Hughes, nothing wrong there, Simon Edvinsson, nothing wrong there, but," TSN Draft analyst Craig Button said, "the quality of Brandt Clarke, the ability to drive on offensive, and to really, I call him a bold player. He reminds me so much of Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, the way they play the game, and that's the way Brandt plays."
Though defense is a need, so is goal scoring. If the club opts to add someone with finish potential, then Ekland would also be a great option.
"(Ekland) played on the same line with Alexander Holtz this year," Chris Peters, a draft writer and podcast host of Hockey Sense, said. "What a great way to reunite them at the National Hockey League level, you know? He played huge minutes this year for Sweden, a pro team, where he was looked to as an offensive driver. And to be that at that young of an age is really incredible."
Ekland enjoyed a lot of success while playing with Holtz. A reunion could help them both in their careers and development.
"I think it would be really to play with Alex," Ekland said. "Playing with Alex is a dream."Of course, the Devils could always choose to draft none of the aforementioned names and select someone else. There will be plenty of good options and lots of talent for the Devils to add to their collective prospect pool.
Or, as Fitzgerald put it a month ago: "With this pick we know we're going to get high quality. It's an exciting time for the organization because we know we're going to add quality at the No. 4 position."
We feel that we're going to get an impact player at No. 4. We feel very fortunate for that. We're going to add to the riches of young talent that we already have."