The New Jersey Devils should be one of the top teams in the NHL in 2023-24. They have plenty of scoring talent, especially after acquiring Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames in late June. But if there’s one position they still may address this offseason, it’s in net.
Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid were more than solid this past season, and the Vegas Golden Knights showed a team can win the Stanley Cup without an elite netminder. Still, Vanecek’s playoff struggles are a cause for concern, and while Schmid may be the future, he recently turned 23 years old and still doesn’t have much experience.
That’s why the Devils have been linked to netminders such as John Gibson and Connor Hellebuyck this summer. Nothing has materialized yet, but something has to give with the goalie market at some point, at least one would think. However, if things remain quiet and the Devils run it back with Vanecek and Schmid, they can remain patient until the trade deadline or 2024 offseason to get the upgrade they seek.
Impact Deadline Deals Can Be Hard to Come By
The preferable option for the Devils would be to get a goalie before the 2023-24 season starts. For a goaltender, it’s easier to join a new team in the offseason rather than at the trade deadline when you have to get comfortable with a new system and teammates’ tendencies.
Related: Devils 2023-24 Player Preview: Jesper Bratt
But more importantly, trade-deadline deals for goalies over the last few years have had mixed results for the teams that have made such moves. Here are notable netminders that have gotten moved at or around the trade deadline since 2018:
- Joonas Korpisalo, Los Angeles Kings (2023)
- Jonathan Quick, Vegas Golden Knights (2023)
- Marc-Andre Fleury, Minnesota Wild (2022)
- Kaapo Kahkonen, San Jose Sharks (2022)
- Scott Wedgewood, Dallas Stars (2022)
- Robin Lehner, Golden Knights (2020)
- Jack Campbell, Toronto Maple Leafs (2020)
- Cam Talbot, Philadelphia Flyers (2019)
- Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes (2018)
- Petr Mrazek, Flyers (2018)
Some of the trades above were more significant than others. For example, Quick to the Golden Knights was more about depth since they had plenty of injuries in net. Wedgewood has become a solid backup for the Stars, but that’s Jake Oettinger’s net. The Sharks weren’t contenders when they acquired Kahkonen, but he fared well after the trade, totaling a .916 save percentage (SV%) in 11 appearances; he has fallen off since then, though.
Meanwhile, Talbot had regressed in his time with the Edmonton Oilers and was a change of scenery candidate. The Flyers took a gamble on him, but it didn’t work out, as he posted an .881 SV% in four appearances with them. He signed with the Calgary Flames as a free agent a few months later and got his game back there.
The Flyers did make an addition for a playoff run the season before the Talbot trade, acquiring Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings ahead of the 2018 deadline. But he did not fare well in his time as a rental with the Flyers, posting an .891 SV% in 15 starts and 17 appearances.
Kuemper had not yet established himself as the 1A netminder he is now, but he was playing well for the Kings before they dealt him to the Coyotes. He struggled after the trade, with his SV% falling from .932 to .899. But team impacts were likely at play since the Coyotes were one of the NHL’s worst clubs in 2017-18.
There Have Been Noteworthy Deadline Deals Too
The most notable moves above were Korpisalo, Fleury, Lehner and Campbell. Korpisalo was the most recent trade, as the Kings picked him up ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. He was fantastic in the regular season, totaling a .921 SV% in 11 outings after the deal. But he faltered in the playoffs, totaling an .892 SV% en route to the Oilers eliminating the Kings in Round 1.
In need of an upgrade in net, the Minnesota Wild acquired Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. He was solid after the move, posting a .910 SV% in 11 regular-season appearances. But his playoffs were a mixed bag, as he posted a .906 SV%, with the Wild falling to the St. Louis Blues in five games in Round 1. Filip Gustavsson has since taken over as the Wild’s 1A, but Fleury is still a competent 1B.
Lehner was one of the more interesting trades. The Golden Knights acquired him at the 2020 trade deadline, but he only played in three games before the pandemic began and shut down the world. He did post a .940 SV% in three regular-season games and fared well in the playoff bubble, totaling a .917 SV% in 16 starts. Injuries have gotten to him lately, though.
With Frederik Andersen struggling with injuries in 2019-20, the Maple Leafs acquired Campbell from the Kings. He only played in six games that season for the Maple Leafs but did have a .916 SV%. Campbell had yet to establish himself as a 1A, but his 2021-22 campaign was the beginning of him showing he could handle a starter’s workload in the NHL.
Bringing It Back to the Devils
After all that, let’s return to the Devils. If they don’t get their goalie over the next few weeks and run it back with Vanecek and Schmid, should they wait until the trade deadline or next summer to make a move? That really depends on who’s available and how Vanecek and Schmid fare in the regular season.
If Vanecek and Schmid provide good enough goaltending, the Devils won’t have to worry about acquiring another netminder a year from now or at the deadline. Vanecek had a .911 SV% in the regular season, while Schmid had a .921 SV% in 27 games between the regular season and playoffs. Schmid was a significant reason the Devils eliminated the New York Rangers in Round 1, so there’s reason to believe he’ll continue to improve in the playoffs with more experience.
But if things go awry or the Devils simply want an upgrade, they’ll then turn to the trade market. From the looks of it, Hellebuyck will begin the new season in Winnipeg. The Jets won’t move him if they’re in a playoff spot at the trade deadline, but if they’re out of the race and he wants out, they won’t risk losing him for nothing. That would be the Devils’ opportunity to pounce and get the goalie they want.
Otherwise, there probably won’t be many options at the deadline. Ilya Samsonov will be a UFA, but the Maple Leafs will be in the playoff race, so it’s highly unlikely he will get dealt. Kahkonen will be a UFA and would be a fit for the Devils if they could agree to a contract extension with him. But he needs a bounce-back season before becoming a trade target.
If not at the deadline, the 2024 offseason would be the Devils’ best bet for finding a goalie. As of now, the 2025 UFA class for goalies is a loaded crop that includes Juuse Saros, Igor Shesterkin, Karel Vejmelka, Alexandar Georgiev, Linus Ullmark and Lehner, to name a few.
Most of them will re-up with their current teams (it’s hard to imagine Shesterkin changing teams). But if the Nashville Predators or Coyotes want to continue rebuilding/retooling, could Saros or Vejmelka get moved at the deadline or next summer since they’d only have a year left on their contracts? It’s possible and is something the Devils should be keeping an eye on moving forward.
Devils Have Options This Offseason & Beyond
Ultimately, I think the Devils find the goalie they’re looking for in the next few weeks, with betting odds on the Boston Bruins being a potential target. Evolving-Hockey has Jeremy Swayman, a restricted free agent, projected for a three-year extension at a cap hit of $4.148 million, which could create cap problems for the Bruins.
If Swayman gets anywhere close to that number, especially in an arbitration settlement, the Bruins could look to move him or Ullmark since they’d have close to $9 million a year tied up in netminders. Swayman will be easier to trade since Ullmark has a 16-team no-trade clause, meaning he could be the Devils’ target.
But if the Devils run it back with Vanecek and Schmid and still believe they need an upgrade in net 8-12 months from now, waiting until next summer might be the best plan. If teams like the Predators or Coyotes move Saros or Vejmelka, it’s more likely to happen in the offseason since it’s rare to see goalies of that caliber moved at the deadline. That’s why the Devils can remain patient, especially since Vanecek and Schmid are solid, and let the pieces continue to fall into place.
