The New Jersey Devils have a long history of goalie prospects being busts. With a renewed interest in the organization’s goaltending depth, let’s take a trip down memory lane.
MacKenzie Blackwood’s recent struggles and the recent acquisition of Eddie Lack have put goaltending in the spotlight again for the New Jersey Devils.
The Devils spent years trying, and failing, to find the successor to Martin Brodeur before trading for Cory Schneider. It’s not uncommon for goaltenders to flame out or never reach their potential. It’s a notoriously hard position to predict. There’s about 62 spots for it at the NHL level. While most teams go through failed goaltending prospects, the Devils goalie pipeline has always been under more scrutiny because of who the team was trying to replace.
Here’s a trip down memory lane – a slideshow of all the attempts to replace Brodeur that didn’t work out.