The New Jersey Devils put themselves in a very strange spot when it comes to their long-term plan for their goalies. This should be especially strange this season in Binghamton.
The Binghamton Devils just did a player profile on goaltender Cam Johnson. It was a really good piece from Julie Robenhymer that made Johnson really likable. He talks about starting with Binghamton after signing an entry-level deal with the New Jersey Devils. He explained the difference of his mindset from last year to this year. This is a national championship winning goalie were talking about here.
Here’s the thing, I completely forgot about Cam Johnson until I saw this article. It’s happened to all writers, although we rarely admit it. We write so many articles about every prospect imaginable over the offseason, you just forget about one or two guys.
I remember when the Devils chose to move on from goalie Ken Appleby, I thought it was a terrible decision. He had finally showed that he was on his way to playing well, and with the future of the position merky, this could have been the player of the future. Or, he could at least play backup during Cory Schneider‘s twilight years. However, now looking at the depth chart, Appleby would have started a very serious problem.
After re-signing both Johnson and Eddie Lack this offseason, this was insurance for Schneider, who is recovering from hip surgery at the start of the season. Lack will likely start the year as the backup to Keith Kinkaid, then he will go back down to Binghamton.
That’s when the issues begin.
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Lack was once a future star in net. Many thought he’d be the man to solidify the net after Roberto Luongo was traded. It didn’t work out that way as the Canucks traded him to Carolina. He’s moved around, played really badly, but found a home in New Jersey/Binghamton. Lack seems to play much better since placing this jersey on. To think, the team got him for Dalton Prout.
So, you’re sending an NHL veteran to the AHL. There, he finds Johnson, a former college star trying to make it to the NHL, and MacKenzie Blackwood, a player who was once the heir apparent but is now fighting to get playing time.
What do the Binghamton Devils do? When Schneider returns in November at the latest, do the Devils really send Blackwood to the ECHL again? Can the former second-round pick ever recover from that?
The Devils spent much of the offseason making the AHL product much better. In their first season in a new city, the team did not do much to gain support on the ice. A lot of that had to do with issues in net. It seems like a carousel of goalies may cause more problems in the minors. I do not envy new AHL coach Mark Dennehy.