Sens fan here in peace. I've made a couple of mock drafts and I usually have you guys get one of Jiricek or Nemec.
Jiricek has a bomb of a shot and could be a good contrast to say Hughes. Nemec is more of the shutdown guy. Hope you guys win against Blues.
Where is your weakest area? Are you weakest on defense? Or the wing?
Jiricek is also potentially a shut down player, although he's not as polished as Nemec and losing half of his draft-eligible season to injury certainly will not help him. But I feel if the Devils have the choice between the two, they will take Jiricek. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has shown a preference in larger, more physical defensemen in his brief acquisition history, and Jiricek is certainly bigger and more physical than Nemec.
One would have to assume you are correct that the Devils would have great interest in drafting either player, as the greatest position of organizational need is RD. Despite the Hamilton contract which locks up a 1RD for the foreseeable future, the Devils stand to lose PK Subban as a UFA after the season, while Damon Severson is heading into the final year of his contract next year -- and could even be traded at the deadline if NJ is overwhelmed in an offer. The Devils are very thin at RD in the prospect pool, where their top two (and only) prospects are Case McCarthy -- a defense-first, stay-at-home sort who is likely a couple years away -- and Reilly Walsh -- who is very proficient offensively but might lack the defensive chops to carve out a regular role with the Devils. There are a ton of question marks at the position.
So yes, we'd have to say Jiricek and Nemec are big targets. I feel the only exceptions would be (of course) if the Devils won the lottery, or if Juraj Slafkovsky were still available when the Devils picked in the first round. Because quite honestly, the Devils other pressing need (outside of RD and goaltending) is an interior/power forward with the skill to play in the top 6 with high-end guys like Hughes and Bratt and Hischier. Slafkovsky is a rare combination of 6'4/power/elite skill, but as such he's also likely to be taken in the first two or three overall picks.