The NHL recently posted a 2011 redraft graphic and had the New Jersey Devils selecting Johnny Gaudreau instead of Adam Larsson.
New Jersey Devils fans likely still have mixed reactions regarding the team’s 2011 first-round draft pick.
After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in over a decade, the Devils “won” the 2011 NHL Draft Lottery and earned the No. 4 overall selection. Oh, how times have changed in the Garden State for Jersey’s team.
The Devs selected defenseman Adam Larsson with that pick, and on Saturday, the NHL’s Instagram account reminded fans which player the Devils should’ve actually drafted instead of the Swedish native.
The league posted a graphic that redrafted players selected in 2011 and the NHL suggested that Johnny Gaudreau would’ve ended up with his home-state team, New Jersey.
It’s not hard to believe that most Devils supporters would pounce on this concept like a cheap suit.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_sFY-DJ9KF/
Fans were always critical of Larsson since he first laced up the skates with the Devils in 2011, and thought they got away with robbery after he was traded for Taylor Hall.
Yes, Hall was the first Devils player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy after his heroics in 2017-18, but let’s not forget the rest of his tenure in Jersey was borderline forgettable. Hall was traded this past season — a move that seems like two years ago at this point, no?
All these years later, it’s probably safe to say that the Devils were better off picking a dynamic forward such as Gaudreau, who’s recorded 445 points with the Calgary Flames since 2013-14.
The electric forward is an unrestricted free agent after the 2021-22 campaign and has been a prime subject in heavy trade rumors.
Perhaps New Jersey and Gaudreau will end up uniting after all, a potential move that would make sense for either party.
