2024 NHL Draft: New Jersey Devils Trade John Marino; Move Up to 49th Overall to Draft Mikhail Yegorov

At the 2024 NHL Draft, the New Jersey Devils were able to make the Trade Alert horn go off at the Sphere. Yes, there was an actual horn. They have traded John Marino and 153rd overall to the Utah Hockey Club for 49th overall and Edmonton’s second round pick in 2025. The Devils used that second round pick to select Omaha Lancers goaltender Mikhail Yegorov. That is a lot. Here is a quick breakdown of both.

The Trade

The rumor mill that Chris covered on Thursday have had the Devils connected to pending free agent defenseman Brett Pesce and looking to move John Marino. An interesting decision given that Marino is younger and likely cheaper to retain than to pay Pesce. However, Marino was worse in 2023-24 compared to his very solid 2022-23 form. I still think it would have been worth trying to “fix” Marino than to pay for Pesce.

However, this deal signals to me that management does not think that is possible or worth the effort. Pesce has been an exceptional defenseman to help make Carolina such a difficult team to play against too. Should he show he is not just a product of Carolina’s system and that he is not signed for an exceptionally high amount, then the move works. With the draft-day trade, the Devils now have additional space ($4.4 million) to acquire Pesce. They also added to their draft for this year and added a pick for next year too, effectively “upgrading” from a fifth round shot in the dark. There are pluses here.

The Pick

The Devils used their obtained second round pick from Utah to take a goaltender and their second Russian-born player of the draft, Mikhail Yegorov. Yegorov is large at a listed height of 6’5” and a spry 188 pounds. He catches left and he was born in March 2006. He made the jump from CSKA Moscow’s youth teams to the United States Hockey League in this past season. Yegorov joined the Omaha Lancers and took the net with 43 appearances.

His save percentage of 89.2% is not encouraging on its own. However, Omaha was really bad last season. They won 16 games total out of 62 games and were outscored by 110 goals. Yegorov got a lot of work in those 43 games. To that end, to finish fifteenth in save percentage and third among rookie qualified goalies in the USHL is more impressive than it seems. Hopefully, Omaha is a better team next season. Yegorov is committed to Boston University for the 2025-26 season so I presume he will return with the Lancers in 2024-25.

In terms of observations about his play, here are few. First, from Colin Hunter of Dobber Prospects:

A late riser in this year’s rankings, Yegorov was ranked number 1 among North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting. Yegorov has plenty of pro-style tools: he uses his frame well to cut off angles and seal the ice down low, he has above average hands, and has great tracking abilities. However, his skating can occasionally be questionable, leaving him out of position on the odd chance.

Second, from Steven Ellis at Daily Faceoff, who listed Yegorov as an “under the radar” pick:

Yeah, the record is awful. Five wins in 34 games? Not great. Yegorov has faced 30 or more shots in 21 outings this year. So it’s no surprise it’s been difficult, but scouts still see a ton of potential from the 6-foot-4 keeper. The size helps, but he battles so hard. He never gives up on a play, even with a terrible lineup in front of him. The Boston University commit is very athletic for his size and seems to stay focused no matter what. I could see Yegorov being one of the biggest goaltender steals of this draft because he has all the tools needed to succeed but just doesn’t have the results.

Third, from Daniel Tiffany at Recruit Scouting, who listed Yegorov as the third best goaltender prospect in this draft class:

The first thing you will notice when looking at the profile of Yegorov is that his stats are not the prettiest. If you take an extra minute to look at where Omaha is in the standings, you will understand why. Yegorov faces well over 30 shots on a nightly basis and when watching the tape, half of those shots are prime scoring opportunities. Couple that with the fact that he is still only 17 and in his USHL rookie season, there is a lot to be hopeful for in Yegorov’s game. 6’4 at his age checks the size box, but the hallmark of Yegorov’s game is his athleticism and ability to battle. He does a really good job of staying composed when the play breaks down. I like how he controls his net and watches pucks into his body, not fighting the puck or just punching at high shots. As he continues to adjust to North American ice and gets older, I think he will have a better reading of the game. His rebound control is one area of weakness, but it’s not a major concern.

Altogether, Yegorov is very much a project pick as a goaltender. The positives are that he has handled his business with both high workloads and tough situations in being on a bad team. He is not just large, he can move and track plays to be in good positions as opposed to relying on reflexes or guessing at shots There are spots to his game that he will need to work on such as rebounds, adding to his frame, and continuing to develop at the next level.

I do not mind the selection for what it is. Ilya Nabokov was a goaltender I would have been real interested but he went at 38th overall. I would have loved Teddy Stiga with this pick. I would have liked a center like Jack Berglund or Linus Eriksson just to add to the pool. But I think Yegorov is as good of goaltender prospect as anyone in this draft class. I like that he is already in North America and going through college so there is no KHL/MHL factor to deal with. I like that he has plenty of tools to grow with. I like that the Devils are still taking swings at an important position instead of just settling and hoping that who they have in their system can rise up to take the crease in New Jersey. And I like that they have moved on from John Marino and a fifth round pick to add a prospect like Yegorov instead of moving him for less on or right before July 1.

Now that you know what I think about the pick and the trade, please feel free to give your reaction to the pick in the comments. Please also vote in our flash poll (ends at 8 PM tomorrow), that will lead to a later post describing what you, the People Who Matter, thought of the pick. Thank you for reading.