New Jersey Devils: Addressing Keith Kinkaid Rumors
By Nick Villano
Sometimes things are thrown out on Twitter, and they breed a life of their own. That’s what happened when our account threw out the idea of the New Jersey Devils trading Keith Kinkaid.
I’ll start with this, I did not think this would turn into the major conversation among New Jersey Devils fans that it has. I threw out the idea that the Devils could look into trading Keith Kinkaid a little over a week ago. Now, it’s been a conversation every single day on social media. I’m not saying the conversation started with us, but one tweet did get some interesting responses.
That was the response to the idea that the Devils are more likely to trade Kinkaid over Cory Schneider. The first time the idea was floated was in a Pucks and Pitchforks article talking about who won’t be here next season. In said article, I admitted this was the least likely to happen of the other four, but still worth talking about.
Kinkaid was nothing short of great for the Devils down the stretch. He is the reason the Devils made the playoffs for the first time in six years. Down the stretch, he was nothing short of amazing. Since February 15th, Kinkaid posted a .932 save percentage. In his final 20 games, Kinkaid allowed less than three goals in 13 of them. When the Devils needed someone to step up, Kinkaid was the man for the job.
So, why should the Devils think of trading the man who took them to the playoffs? Well, there are multiple reasons.
For one, Kinkaid will not be the starter come Opening Night. Schneider showed in the playoffs why he is still the guy in New Jersey. During game two, the Tampa Bay Lightning chased Kinkaid in the second period. For the rest of the series, Cory was the best goalie on the ice for either team. In fact, Schneider still leads all goalies in playoff save percentage. That includes the second round players.
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All that being said, Devils GM Ray Shero will not give Kinkaid away. While he’s on his final deal of his contract, it’s not worth giving Kinkaid away for a fifth-round pick. Unless he commands a second-round pick or better, the Devils should keep him around. We learned this season that Schneider can’t be the player to carry the team to 70 games in a season. The Devils need someone to take the weight off Schneider’s 32-year-old shoulders.
Kinkaid is a great backup. He’s worth it to keep here, but if a team is offering a second-round pick, then the Devils should pounce on it. If a team offers a third-round pick and a prospect, then Shero should at least consider it. Losing all picks in the second and third rounds of the upcoming NHL draft changed the way the Devils look at the offseason. The Devils could sign Eddie Lack and give Ken Appleby a real look in the NHL. Those two can at least hold down the backup job until something better comes along.
Again, that’s only if a team is willing to give up something good for Kinkaid. If teams are sending low-ball offers, then it’s better to just keep Kinkaid on the roster.