

Hämeenaho does not possess the skating and primary scoring ability that Slafkovsky does, but that is encouraging production nonetheless. His 0.41 points per game as a draft-eligible actually bests 2022 1st-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky’s draft-eligible season (0.32). His nine goals and 21 points in 51 games help showcase his pro-level game. Hämeenaho spent his entire draft-eligible season with Ässät of the Finnish Liiga, making the full-time jump from U20 Hockey to the pros look easy. Round Two, 58th Overall – Lenni Hämeenaho, RWĭevils GM Tom Fitzgerald stated in his end-of-season media availability that the Devils’ draft goal was to find players with a high upside, but selecting Finnish Winger Lenni Hämeenaho feels closer to banking on a safe floor. GM Tom Fitzgerald made the most of his five selections, and the Devils came away with five strong players for their pipelines. New Jersey did not have a first-round pick in this year’s draft and headed to Nashville looking for impactful players with upside.
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These moves allowed the Devils to prioritize depth adds in Free Agency, signing Chris Tierney & Erik Kallgren as short-term options. The Devils also shipped off defensemen Damon Severson and Reilly Walsh to Columbus and Boston respectively. On top of locking up their key players, the Devils also brought in Tyler Toffoli from Calgary, who was coming off a stunning career-high 73 points at age 30, in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich, who scored 24 goals for New Jersey last year.

Also re-signed was Erik Haula, who will look to rebound from an inconsistent season. They re-signed Meier and Jesper Bratt to eight-year extensions, locking down two more core pieces long-term. With one of the deepest NHL rosters and prospect pools, which they did not have to dip into to acquire Timo Meier at the Trade Deadline, the Devils prioritized keeping their roster intact over the off-season. It did not seem there was too much the New Jersey Devils could do to improve.
