For what feels like the millionth year in a row, the Devils need to acquire a goalie in the off-season. But who are the options, and what do the Devils need to do to acquire each one?
Sigh… here we go again. Another off-season hoping for the Devils to improve their goaltending. The Devils haven’t had a legit starter since Cory Schneider in 2016. Mackenzie Blackwood showed some promise as a young goalie in 2019 and 2020 but ran into injury problems and never truly recovered and returned to what he was in his first two seasons with the Devils. Then, New Jersey had to use seven goalies in 2022 and none of them played well. Vitek Vanecek looked like a starter for most of last season, then crapped his pants in the playoffs, and was barely better than a shooter tutor in 2023-2024 before he was moved at the deadline. Tom Fitzgerald acquired Jake Allen at the trade deadline, and he was a bit of an improvement, although that isn’t saying much. I would say Allen played well enough to be considered as an option for the backup job in NJ, but the team still desperately needs a starting goalie. The only question is how to acquire one and if Fitzgerald will make it happen.
The Boston Bruins could be a great trading partner. They have two very solid goalies on their roster right now and the younger of the two, Jeremy Swayman is about to be a restricted free agent. The Bruins will likely look to extend Sawyman long term, which could make their other goalie, Linus Ullmark, the 2023 Vezina winner, unlikely to sign an extension and therefore available via trade. Ullmark has one year left on his contract at $5 million dollars, which is more than reasonable for a goalie of his caliber. Could the Devils use their first round pick this year, which will be in the top 10, to pry the 30 year old Ullmark away from the Bruins? Probably not a one for one swap, but a top 10 pick would probably be pretty attractive for one of the older teams in the league. Maybe add a younger player or prospect like Seamus Casey, Ethan Edwards, or Alex Holtz to sweeten the pot for Boston. I would even consider adding Dawson Mercer into the trade. Adding Linus Ullmark without question makes the Devils a top Stanley Cup contender next season and Tom Fitzgerald should be willing to move heaven and earth to bring Ullmark to the Garden State.
Elsewhere on the trade market, Nashville may be willing to part ways with Juuse Saros due Russian prospect Yaroslav Askarov looking like he may be NHL ready. Nashville GM Barry Trotz has publicly stated a desire to keep Saros, but I suspect he may just want to negotiate from a position of strength this off-season, which makes sense. However, Trotz may actually be dead set on keeping Saros in hopes he can carry them to playoffs next year like he did this year. That being said, it arguably makes more sense for Nashville to move Saros. Saros is 29 years old and, like Ullmark, is a UFA at the end of next season. So, similar to Boston, Nashville already has a younger goalie ready to take over the crease full time with a starting caliber goalie entering their contract year. The Predators, unlike the Bruins, were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs so, they may be interested in addressing some other areas of their team while giving the crease to Askarov full time. The Devils first round pick this year and maybe a second or third round pick next year plus a mid level prospect could help the Predators accelerate a rebuild to begin the Askarov era.
Jacob Markstrom was allegedly a target of the Devils at the trade deadline this past season. Some reports went as far to say that Markstom had agreed to waive his no trade clause and accept a trade to New Jersey. Apparently, the trade fell apart over a disagreement between the organizations over salary retention or some other such nonsense. Markstom is no doubt a very good goalie and would have been a huge step up over anyone else the Devils threw between the pipes at any point in the 2023-2024 season. HOWEVER, I don’t think he is a very valuable trade target this off-season. First of all, Markstrom is four years older than Ullmark and five years older than Saros and is therefore far more likely to begin to regress due to age in the near future. Arguably, Markstrom’s regression has already begun. Markstrom played 63 games in 2022, 59 games in 2023, and 48 games in 2024. Markstrom’s save percentage and goals against average have each been significantly worse in the last two seasons when compared to 2022. I would be ok with the Devils acquiring Markstrom, but not for this year’s first round pick. Any deal for Markstrom should also not include highly rated young players like Mercer, Casey, or Holtz.
There are no really attractive goalies available via unrestricted free agency. Cam Talbot is probably the best available free agent. The 36 year old has had a strong year for LA in 2023-2024, playing in 53 games and posting a .915 save percentage and 2.45 GAA. He only made a million dollars this season so he could be an affordable option. However, Talbot will be turning 37 this summer so will he want to move across the country to come play for a team with… questionable… defense in front of him? Overall, Talbot does not seem like a really solid option. Maybe if he is unsigned late in the summer and no trade can reached for another goalie the two sides could come together but I don’t think its very likely.
Ideally, the Devils will acquire either Ullmark or Saros to start the majority of games with Allen as the backup. That would leave Schmid and Daws to split time in the AHL, gain some confidence, and then hopefully one or both will be ready for full time NHL duty in 2026. The Devils just cannot go into next year with Allen as the starter and Schmid and Daws battling to be the backup. The Devils have prime Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Dougie Hamilton. They cannot waste another year of this core due to another year of awful goaltending. There are options out there and Tom Fitzgerad needs to bring one to New Jersey this summer.
The Morning Skate 
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