Here’s an NHL Draft tidbit left over from this week’s Devils mailbag:

Any chance the Devils try to acquire another top-10 pick to get Caufield to go with Hughes? — Matt Hunter (@GNB79) April 30, 2019

When Jack Hughes was tearing up the U18 World Championships and giving Devils fans even more reason to get excited about having the No. 1 pick in June’s NHL Draft, it was impossible to miss the play of Cole Caufield.

Caufield played on Hughes’ right wing, and he was named tournament MVP after tying Alex Ovechkin’s record of 14 goals in a single World Championship. Caufield has scored at a ridiculous rate all season, ending with 72 goals in 64 games with the USNTDP. That’s not a typo.

Naturally, that type of production and scoring prowess will get Caufield into the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, and potentially the top 10. The biggest knock on him is his size, since he’s just 5-7 and 163 pounds. Otherwise, he’d probably among the top prospects with Hughes. He’s drawn plenty of comparisons to Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat, who has 69 goals over his first two NHL seasons despite being 5-7 and 165 pounds.

And that brings us to the Devils. Given Caufield’s goal-scoring prowess, his chemistry with Hughes and the Devils’ need for some young, high-end scoring talent, would it be worth trading up for another first-round pick for the chance to land Caufield after taking Hughes No. 1?

No, it wouldn’t be.

First, the price to do so would be exorbitant. When teams move up in the first round, it typically involves using their own first-round pick to do so, while packaging other picks to facilitate the swap.

The Devils (very likely) aren’t trading out of the No. 1 spot just to take Caufield later in the top 10, and they don’t have another first-round pick to move up. Their first second-round pick is at No. 34 overall, and while that’s close to the first round, it’s a far cry from a top-10 pick.

So that means they would need to part with a lot of other assets to get a second first-round pick. They have three second-round picks and two third-round picks later in the draft, but even those likely wouldn’t be enough to pry a top-10 pick away from another team.

To do so, the Devils would likely need to part with an NHL player or a high-end prospect, or use their 2020 first-round pick to add an extra 2019 first rounder. Realistically, it would take some combination of players, 2019 picks and 2020 picks to add another 2019 first-rounder.

Just to give some perspective on a first-round pick being traded, the Devils got a third-round pick from the Ottawa Senators in 2016 to swap the 11th and 12th overall picks. Moving one spot warranted a fairly valuable pick. Imagine what it would take to convince a team to give up a top-10 pick and move out of the first round entirely.

Second, Caufield isn’t someone who would step in and immediately help the NHL team. Outside of Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, who should be the top two picks of the draft, most other first rounders are going to play at least one more year of college or junior hockey. Caufield is committed to Wisconsin, and it’s a safe bet to see him play a year there.

The Devils have the chance to use their excess second and third-round picks to add an NHL-ready player (or two) in other trades, like they did in the past by adding Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson with mid-round draft picks.

So, long answer short, no, the Devils should not trade into the first round to take Caufield. He’s an excellent player and will help any NHL team once he turns pro. He’d certainly be an excellent prospect in New Jersey. But the Devils have more than one need, and sacrificing assets for a player who is at least one full season away from the NHL isn’t the wisest move.

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.