Anton Silayev is one of the best defensemen in the 2024 NHL Draft. His projection varied a little bit leading into Friday's event. Some had the Sarov, Russia native going within the top five of the draft. ClutchPoints, meanwhile, had him falling just outside of the top five in our most recent 2024 NHL Mock Draft. In the end, the New Jersey Devils are very happy to land Silayev at No. 10.
Silayev has been drafted by the Devils with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. New Jersey has looked for a potentially elite defenseman to anchor their blue line moving forward. Silayev certainly has the potential to do just that if everything works out with his development.
It may be a few years before Silayev makes his NHL debut. The NHL honors contracts that players sign with KHL franchises. Silayev is currently under contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Though there are some uncertainties around the length of this contract, it is believed that it ends after the 2025-26 KHL season, according to NHL.com.
What Anton Silayev brings to Devils
Silayev played the 2022-23 season in the MHL, the top Russian junior hockey league. In 2023-24, though, he earned a full-time role with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL. And he played extremely well. He scored three goals and 11 points in 63 games while averaging nearly 15 minutes a game. He especially proved himself capable on the penalty kill and was Torpedo's top defender this past season.
Though his team played just five playoff games, he also proved himself in that environment. Silayev saw his ice time increase to nearly 17 minutes a game during those five games. All of this becomes even more impressive considering that the Russian rearguard didn't turn 18 until April. He was an unknown quantity before the season, but he has firmly established himself as a future star.
Silayev certainly promises to have a long career in the NHL. He should fit in just nicely with New Jersey when he does make it to North America. Perhaps he comes over early in a similar fashion to Matvei Michkov, who expects to join the Philadelphia Flyers after his KHL contract was recently terminated. In any event, his role is likely to be rather one-dimensional at the next level unless he takes a major step in his development.
Anton Silayev's long-term fit with Devils
Silayev is an excellent defender in his own zone. He combines a 6'7″ frame with impressive skating ability and a physical brand of hockey. He finishes his check and holds his own in battles along the boards. Additionally, his skating ability allows him to close down on opposing forwards with ease and quickly change direction if need be.
What makes his true potential difficult to accurately project is the offensive aspect of his game. Silayev has flashed some ability to move the puck well and generate offensive chances for his teammates. However, these offensive flashes are rather inconsistent. Some consider him a two-way defenseman, but the offensive part of his game is lacking for that to be accurate at this time.
There is certainly room for Silayev to become more of an offensive presence. Especially if he continues developing in the KHL next year. For now, though, he is a shutdown defensive defenseman with the ability to provide secondary offense from the point. Silayev may be good for 20-25 points a season at most.
In any event, his defense is so good that he can become a top pairing defenseman off of that alone. He can work on the Devils' penalty kill, as well, and assure coaches that he can shut down opponents when it matters most. If he can develop more offensively, Silayev could wind up as the best defenseman of the 2024 NHL Draft. This is a great pick for the Devils.
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