Maybe we could trade down to pick up a 2nd and still get Miller
Miller will be gone by the second.
But don't take my mock as "the Devils must must must take Miller!!!" It's just a possibility, and he would be a good fit. Maybe Ty Smith falls into the early teens and the Devils move up a few picks to grab him. Maybe the Devils take Alex Alexeyev or Jett Woo, even though they are RHD, because Castron & co. like them better. Maybe the Devils break from recent trends and make the "safe" pick with McIsaac. Maybe the Hurricanes, desperate in goal, offer their first rounder to us for Schneider and a prospect. A lot can happen.
But what I can guarantee with my experience, is that Miller moves up draft boards leading up to late June. In recent drafts, high-upside players have done that. Guys like Bokk, Kaut and Miller were not even considered early second round picks when this season started, and now draft pundits are rocketing them up through the teens.
McKeen's (not my favorite scouting service, but they are respectable) recently moved Miller's ranking up to #16. This was their explanation:
As he sometimes betrays his inexperience with a certain rawness, perhaps misreading a play for a split second before recovering to shut it down as if nothing had happened, K’Andre Miller can be overlooked on a blueline also including first round hopefuls Mattias Samuelsson, and Bode Wilde, as well as other likely draft picks Ty Emberson and Adam Samuelsson. That said, it is that very confluence of two opposing factors – rawness and recovery – that make Miller such an exciting prospect. He is already playing at a very high level, on both ends of the rink, but what he might still be once he becomes more accustomed to the position is stratospheric. The road to his optimistic projection will not be as smooth as some of his current teammates, but its end-point is higher up the national hockey discussion than those other players. Heading to Minnesota next year, he may be the best North American blueliner to emerge from this draft class when all is said and done.
Am I this high on Miller? Yes. But I'm also high on several players in this draft. All I am saying is that this seems an excellent fit between player and team, and that is what I consider when I am mocking a draft.