Nico Daws Should Be Devils’ Backup Goaltender for 2026-27 Season

On June 30, the New Jersey Devils traded goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers. In exchange, the Devils received forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Ben Steeves. The Devils’ starting goaltender is heading back to the team where his career all started. However, where does that leave the Devils?

The Devils still have Jake Allen on the roster, as he is signed through to the 2029-30 season. On July 1, the Devils also signed Nico Daws to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.1 million. Daws was drafted by the Devils in 2020, 84th overall in the 3rd round. He has split his time since the 2021-22 season between playing with the Devils and playing with their American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Utica Comets. The majority of his time has been played with the Comets.

On top of these two goaltenders, the Devils just signed David Rittich on July 3. He received a one-year contract with an AAV of $1 million. Rittich was most recently a backup goaltender for the New York Islanders.

With the addition of Rittich and the signing of Daws, the Devils have to make a decision as to who will be their backup goaltender, provided they intend to carry just two goaltenders on their roster. If they make the decision to carry three goaltenders, this won’t be too much of an issue. If the Devils do decide to carry just two goaltenders on their roster, Daws should be the backup goaltender.

Devils Need to Give Daws a Chance

During development camp, team reporter Amanda Stein shared this quote from General Manager Sunny Mehta on Twitter/X regarding Daws.

“Nico Daws has been a pretty big prospect for us for years now, and hasn’t really had the path to develop. For me, we’re pretty excited about the potential opportunity in front of him.”

Sure, Daws has had time to play in the AHL with the Utica Comets and he has been called up to the Devils when either Markstrom or Allen was dealing with an injury. However, as Mehta mentioned, he hasn’t had the chance to really shape his game, at least at the NHL level. By giving Daws a chance to play full-time in the NHL, it also allows the chance for other players to step up, too.

The Devils just re-signed Jakub Malek to a one-year contract, another one of their AHL goaltenders. He played with the Devils ECHL team, the Adirondack Thunder, for two games last season but then played 31 games with the Comets. His AHL career is just taking off, and with Daws in the NHL, it gives Malek a chance to take over full-time in the AHL.

Daws Has Already Shown Promise

Daws played in his first NHL game on Oct. 23, 2021, helping the Devils secure the win against the Buffalo Sabres in his first NHL start. For the 2021-22 season, Daws played in 25 games, earning a 10-11-1 win record. His save percentage (SV%) for the season was .893.

He spent all of 2022-23 with the Comets but came back to the Devils in 2023-24, where he played in 21 games. Daws’ win rate for the season was 9-11-0 with a .894 SV%, an improvement from 2021-22. On Feb. 17, 2024, Daws was the Devils’ goaltender in the Stadium Series against the Philadelphia Flyers. He made 45 saves in this game, which became the most of any goaltender in an outdoor game.

Daws only had the chance to play in a handful of games in 2024-25 and 2025-26, playing in six games and three games, respectively. In both seasons, he recorded his first .900+ SV%, with a .939 SV% in 2024-25 and a .908 SV% in 2025-26.

In total throughout his NHL career, Daws has played in 55 games and his overall SV% sits at .898 and his goals-against average (GAA) is at 2.96. The best way for Daws to improve his stats is for him to play in more games. He has already shown he is capable of securing wins for his team; now he deserves a chance to do so in the full-time backup goaltender role.

Devils Have to Make a Decision Regarding Goaltending

Even though the Devils signed Rittich to a one-year contract, the Devils should consider playing Daws in the backup role. Yes, Daws hasn’t played a full NHL season just yet, but he has already shown promise in the NHL games he has played. The Devils need to give Daws a chance and lean into their young goaltender.