New Jersey Devils: Eddie Lack Is Getting Something Out Of Nothing
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils made yet another trade on Saturday. General manager Ray Shero was able to turn Dalton Prout into more goalie depth in Eddie Lack.
Ray Shero did it again for the New Jersey Devils. He was able to turn Dalton Prout, who likely played his last game with the big league club, into Eddie Lack, who was once an up-and-coming goalie with lots of upside.
On paper, this will go down as a deal for AHL players, but this is much more than that. Lack is major goalie insurance just in case anything ever happens to Cory Schneider. Keith Kinkaid has been going through a major rough stretch. He’s sitting with a .893 save percentage. It’s very unsettling for Kinkaid, after he posted .916 last season.
If Schneider were to ever go down, not many would be confident in Kinkaid holding down the fort until he return. Heck, head coach John Hynes isn’t even confident to put him in on a back to back.
Lack, on the other hand, has real NHL experience. Should we be confident with Lack if Schneider goes down? No. He’s been terrible himself when given a shot with the Calgary Flames. While he has been better with Stockton, it’s not anything to go home about.
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Here’s the thing, one would be much happier going with two goalies with NHL experience to hold down the fort, than one and a career AHLer in Ken Appleby or someone nowhere near ready in MacKenzie Blackwood.
Also, this trade was for Dalton Prout. While I loved what he was in this Devils locker room, on the ice he just wasn’t a good part of the team. Who knows where the confidence went for him from his early days in Columbus, but he was never going to be part of this Devils squad. Even with an injury, Ben Lovejoy could easily fill the role.
This trade will likely go unnoticed by the end of the season, but for now Shero was able to get something for nothing. Prout was going to spend the rest of the season in Binghamton. Lack at least has a shot to make the NHL club.