It’s almost as if the Devils are gambling against themselves to win the Stanley Cup. Instead of looking for the first-round draft pick swap that would become more advantageous if they win four more games, the Devils played it safe by adding St. Louis’ 25th overall pick to their own for next month.

The league offered the Devils two options after New Jersey protested the May 1 declaration date for either swapping their first-rounder for St. Louis’, or taking the Blues’ pick outright as part of the penalty for the Blues’ 1994 tampering with Scott Stevens.

In response, the Devils were told to decide which way they’d go if the Blues won the Stanley Cup, and which way if the Blues didn’t. The Devils were not given another option of deciding which way to go if they win the Stanley Cup, the league in effect telling the Devils to act on the basis of how strongly they believe they will repeat.

“We did what we believed was best for the franchise,” Lou Lamoriello said last night.

The Devils retain the right to swap firsts with the Blues in 2003, although that choice could become useless if the Blues finish ahead of the Devils that season.