Talk about trading down. Lou Lamoriello told The Post he might, then did it twice last night, all the way down to 5-foot-9 while piling up two extra picks.
Having struck their most recent gold on the short end of the draft with Brian Gionta and Zach Parise, the Devils went back to that well in selecting speedy Swedish left wing Mattias Tedenby 24th overall in last night’s NHL entry draft.
“This is a sheer talent, something you can’t teach,” Lamoriello said. “He’s an exceptional player. His size gets in the way, but drafting where we do, you make that decision that we could take that risk.”
Tedenby, listed at 165 pounds, may remain in Sweden next season, with elite league champ HV71.
“I’m an offensive player who likes playing offensive hockey, 50-50 goal-scorer/playmaker,” Tedenby said.
Reminded that defense is the Devils’ legend, Tedenby had an answer.
“I think I can fix it,” Tedenby said.
In grabbing the player he says he wanted anyway, Lamoriello added two draft picks to his stockpile. He acquired a second round pick today (54th overall from Washington), and a third-rounder next summer from Minnesota. The Devils dropped from 21st to 23rd in the trade with the Caps (who took Anton Gustafsson, Bengt’s son), and then to 24th in the trade with the Wild (Tyler Cuma).
Tedeny was ranked third among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and is compared to Martin St. Louis – speedy, combative, competitive and, especially, skilled. He’s listed at 165 pounds, having turned 18 in February. He went 3-3-6 in his first 23 “elite” games with HV71 and said he has a contract there for next season.
Lamoriello said he had two players in mind when he started trading down, and when both remained available, made his second deal, getting his first wish. He said that another small forward shouldn’t be a problem.
“We have a lot of size and strength coming,” Lamoriello said.
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While signs are pointing to Sergei Brylin remaining with the Devils next season, the last of the Devils’ three-Cup skaters told The Post last night that he’s not particularly interested in milking the cash cow that the Russian Continental league is becoming.
Brylin is still awaiting a Devils decision on whether the team will offer the 13-year Devil vet a multiyear contract, or even pick up the option they hold at $1.53 million for next season. Brylin also holds a player option to return next season at that salary, but would prefer a longer-term deal. A decision is expected early next week, with June 30 the option deadline.
“I’m not quite ready yet to make any adjustments or decision like [going to Russia],” the 33-year-old Moscow native said. “I don’t want to go anywhere. My family is very comfortable here.”
Brylin, who is the Devils’ current Iron Man at 328 consecutive games, was at the Newark Arena last night for the team’s Draft Party, attended by nearly 5,000 fans. The Russian league already signed former Devils defenseman Karel Rachunek at what has been described as a major raise from his $1.4 million salary last season. It was reported yesterday that the league was going to offer Penguin Evgeni Malkin $12.5 million per season, tax-free, to walk out on his Penguin contract and play in Russia. The International Ice Hockey Federation condemned the plan, despite the lack of a reciprocal agreement between the Russian league and the NHL.