The New Jersey Devils Are A Goaltender Away From Contending
· Yahoo Sports
For years now, the New Jersey Devils have been trying to take the next competitive step – and they haven’t been succeeding.
Visit rouesnews.click for more information.
Two seasons ago, the Devils finished third in the Metropolitan Division with a 42-33-7 record. That was slightly better than their 2025-26 record of 42-37-3. But new Devils GM Sunny Mehta has arrived and made many notable changes this summer. It now feels like the Devils could be only a high-end goalie away from truly competing at the top of the Metro and the Eastern Conference.
Mehta’s first major change to New Jersey’s lineup was the trading of young defenseman Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames on June 23. But the biggest move of consequence for the Devils came a week later, when Mehta dealt veteran goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers.
Now, New Jersey has a goalie trio of veteran Jake Allen, 25-year-old Nico Daws, and journeyman David Rittich, the latter of whom signed a one-year, $1-million contract. That’s not a netminding trio that strikes fear in the hearts of opponents.
The Devils still have $3.8 million in salary cap space, but it feels like Mehta must go out and acquire a proven goaltender to battle with legitimate star goalies in the Metro, including New York Rangers superstar Igor Shesterkin and New York Islanders star Ilya Sorokin. Allen and Rittich do not provide the same caliber of goaltending that other Metro team goalies do, and that’s what Mehta has to address via a trade.
And really, think of how dominant the Devils could be with someone like Winnipeg Jets superstar Connor Hellebuyck or St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup-winner Jordan Binnington in net. That kind of trade would propel the Devils to the top of the Metro.
The off-season addition of veteran winger Anthony Mantha gives the Devils a balanced group of forwards, and their defense core was deep enough to trade Nemec.
With youngsters Seamus Casey and Anton Silayev in the pipeline, New Jersey has defensemen to spare, and that depth is what made the Nemec trade palatable for Mehta.
But the Devils are trying to win now. That’s why a trade for an established goalie makes so much sense for New Jersey.
Which Versions Of The Penguins, Capitals And Devils Will We See In 2026-27?The Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins have had rollercoaster results in the standings lately, and it's tough to predict where they'll finish again. They have made notable changes, however.Mehta would have to pay a steep price to acquire Hellebuyck or Binnington, but the Devils have five first-round draft picks in the next three drafts, and they’ve got three second-rounders in that span. Mehta could easily peel off one or two of those picks and a prospect or two if it meant acquiring a proven difference-maker in net.
Allen posted a save percentage of .904 in 37 games this past season. Daws put up an SP of .908 in three appearances last year. And Rittich had an SP of .894 in 30 games with the New York Islanders last season. None of the three can be considered workhorse goalies, so Devils coach Sheldon Keefe will probably ride the hot hand until the hand cools down.
But for the moment, we’ll likely continue hearing speculation about Hellebuyck’s future in Winnipeg. And the same goes for Binnington in St. Louis. As we’ve seen this summer when the Toronto Maple Leafs changed up their goalie picture by trading Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers and signing former Florida Panthers star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, one team or another will highly value a proven netminder.
And right now, it feels like Mehta and the Devils are taking a massive risk when it comes to their goaltending.
Nico Daws' Contract With New Jersey Devils Gives Them Options In NetThe New Jersey Devils have signed Nico Daws to a two-year contract extension.That risk would be mitigated considerably if New Jersey landed Hellebuyck or Binnington. Hellebuyck is a former Hart Trophy winner as the NHL’s regular-season MVP, and Binnington is a Cup-winner who powered Team Canada to victory at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Either of them would be considerably better than what the Devils currently have in net.
If you don’t have good goaltending at the NHL level, you don’t have anything. So it’s on Mehta and Devils brass to figure out how to upgrade between the pipes. New Jersey has a slew of above-average players, but their goaltending is B-grade, and that’s just not going to cut it in the Metro and the East.
Mehta must improve his team in net. And until he does so, the Devils could be looking at more frustration and disappointment.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.