The New Jersey Devils remain in the market for a goaltender despite their recent winning streak and the play of Akira Schmid.
Now Schmid and Vitek Vanecek have not played great for the Devils this season. Not to mention the defense in front of them was not playing up to the standard of last year. However, that is still no excuse for Vanecek and Schmid to have one of the worst save percentages in the league.
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And this was an area of weakness the Devils needed to address in the offseason. But to be fair the players out there were going to cost the Devils a hefty price, something general manager Tom Fitzgerald was not willing to pay at the time.
Especially for someone like Connor Hellebuyck or Juuse Saros. Both of them were linked to the Devils continuously, but a deal could not be executed. Then Hellebuyck stayed in Winnipeg and the Devils were left with not many options to add depth to the position.
It has been apparent since the second round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Devils needed to upgrade their goaltending. And the start to the season did not help matter.
Schmid has turned things around, but they need someone to pair with him as Vanecek has lost confidence in his game.
However, making things complicated is the salary cap and the injury to Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton is on IR as document on NHLRumors.com and until his status is known on how long he will be out, the Devils really do not have many options and money to play with.
So looking at the market where do the Devils turn?
Well for starters they could look at Anaheim for a true number one in John Gibson. As Eric Stephens of The Athletic writes, Gibson was on great pace to start the year with a .927 save percentage despite his record. Not to mention his save percentage has come down and he is operating at a .906 save percentage pace.
And early on, the idea of Gibson being traded was outlandish. However, the Ducks have come back to Earth in the Pacific Division and the possibility has opened up again. Anaheim could still use him, but again they are not going anywhere this year, but they are right there.
However, if Anaheim does keep him, they might be wasting his prime years, similar to the Devils with Cory Schneider. But if the Ducks were to trade him, first they need Gibson to submit his 10-team no-trade list and the Devils would need to know if they are on that list.
Then the factor of money comes in as Stephens writes. Gibson has this season and three more seasons at $6.4 million a season. Not many teams will be interested in picking up that contract. So the Ducks will need to retain and how much does general manager Pat Verbeek want to retain?
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On the Devils side of things, they will need to give up something to get that true number one. So if the Devils do get him, then Vanecek is probably going the other way along with players like Alexander Holtz, Dawson Mercer, and a first round pick or even more.
So if Gibson is out of the question, where else can they and are the options better than what they have already?
Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com writes that Kaapo Kahkonen of the San Jose Sharks and Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames could be options. Markstrom is hurt right now for the Flames and his status is also unknown. Kahkonen has less than a cap hit of Vanecek at $2.75 million. However, Markstrom has three years left at $6 million a season.
James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now notes that Saros, who was an option, is not an option anymore as the team is looking to extend him. Other options include Jake Allen of Montreal, Carter Hart of Philadelphia, and James Reimer of Detroit.
Again, are those options better than what they have now?
One thing is clear, the Devils need to get someone to pair with Schmid.
