The goaltending this past regular season for the New Jersey Devils was the best goaltending they have gotten in recent years. Last summer, general manager Tom Fitzgerald addressed the position by trading for Vitek Vanecek and signing him to a three-year contract. He was all you could ask for out of your starting goalie, as he finished the season with a record of 33-11-4 with a 2.45 goals against average(GAA) and a .911 save percentage.
But while he had a career-best regular season, his playoff performance is where he dropped the ball. He started the series against the New York Rangers and was a shell of his regular-season self. He ended the playoffs with a 4.64 GAA and a .825 save percentage. With the numbers like that, the question now is, what do the Devils do with their goaltending this summer?
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The Devils used three goalies this season. Vanecek, Akira Schmid and Mackenzie Blackwood. They also have Jonathan Bernier on LITR, but his contract expires this summer, and his career is likely over due to injuries. Vanecek and Schmid are signed for next season, while Blackwood is going into the summer as a restricted free agent. With the Devils already having two goalies and with them not going to Blackwood at all during the playoffs, it seems likely that his time in a Devils jersey is over.
There are two options for Blackwood. They could try to trade his rights, which could get them a late-round pick, or they could not qualify him, and he would become an unrestricted free agent. Either way, it seems as if the Devils have their goaltending duo set for next season.
If the Devils are going into next season with the duo of Vanecek and Schmid, we have all seen how far they can go and how unreliable they could be at points during the playoffs. While Schmid had the better numbers in the playoffs when compared to his partner, he was rarely tested against the Rangers, and when he went up against the Hurricanes, they figured him out fairly quickly.
You also have to think that the Devils might not be as good next season as they were this season. They might not get the same goaltending numbers or go on another 13-game winning streak. So if the Devils want to go on a deep playoff run next season, they need to figure out the goaltending now.
Add Via Trade or Free Agency
The Devils don’t have the best depth when in come to goalies in their system. The only other netminder who has played games for them in the NHL is Nico Daws, and he’s still not ready to be at the NHL level. He had a decent year in the AHL with the Utica Comets, but he still needs time to develop. This means the Devils should look to add another goalie either by trade or free agency.
The free-agent crop of goalies is not very appealing this summer. It is either netminders who have been unreliable in the past, like Tristan Jarry or Frederik Andersen, or guys who are past their prime, like Jonathan Quick and Cam Talbot. The two names that could interest the Devils are Semyon Varlamov and Joonas Korpisalo. Both had good seasons with their teams, and they could be solid options in a 1A or 1B situation with Vanecek. It would give Schmid more time to grow as the AHL starter, and he could always come up in case of injuries.
One big name that is going to be discussed in trade conversations this summer is Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. He has one year remaining on his deal before he becomes a free agent, and he has stated publicly that he does not know what his future is in Winnipeg. He wants to win now, and if the Jets feel they can’t provide him that, they could look to move him.
The Devils would be a great fit for Hellebuyck, as they just had an amazing season. And if they had a goalie like Hellebuyck in goal, they could have made it farther in the playoffs. A trade package would likely include Vanecek going back in the deal, along with a prospect and a first-round pick. The Devils have plenty of prospects in the system, so now would be the time to trade picks away to try and make the team better now because you never know what could happen in a season.
Should They Stand Pat?
The most likely scenario is that the Devils just run it back with the duo they have under contract. Even though there might be some concerns about sustainability, the goalies they had were good enough to get them to the playoffs this season and were good enough to make a second-round appearance for the first time since 2012. Vanecek had a great regular season, while his playoff performance left much to be desired. If he can have another great regular season and keep up that performance come playoff time, the Devils should have no worries in net.
As for Schmid, time will tell what kind of a goalie he truly is. He had a good regular season when he was relied on due to Blackwood getting injured. His playoff performance was a mixed bag. He played well against the Rangers and helped them bounce back after going down 2-0 in the series, but he was rarely tested by the Rangers.
The Hurricanes were another story, as they solved Schmid fairly quickly, which led to the Devils getting bounced in five games. This experience is good for Schmid because he is still young and can learn from what went right and what went wrong. If the Devils do choose to stand pat and run with these two goalies, they should still feel confident that they can get the job done. If they think that change is necessary, there are other options available to them.
