New Jersey Devils: Cam Johnson May Be Future In Net
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils have great prospects on offense and defense that will round out the team for the next decade. The issue is the future at the goaltender position is a question mark. That may be answered by Cam Johnson.
Right now, the New Jersey Devils have Cory Schneider signed through 2022. Their plan beyond him is Keith Kinkaid and Eddie Lack this year, then after that who knows. There’s MacKenzie Blackwood, who’s close to completely flaming out. GM Ray Shero drafted goalies in the last two drafts, so they could work out eventually. Giles Senn and Akira Schmid have untapped potential, but it’s impossible to see what they could be in a few years.
Then, there’s Cam Johnson. Johnson was not drafted by the Devils, but he is a member of their prospect ranks. The team signed him to a one-year deal last season. He’s 24 years old, so he’s close to coming in to his prime, and only has a few years to really establish himself.
Johnson was the best goalie in this past weekend’s prospect challenge. He already won a national championship with the University of North Dakota. He may be the player the Devils look to when playing for Binghamton this season.
He’s done a lot as a goalie for one who hasn’t played in the NHL yet. However, he did not do so well in the AHL last season. He was only given three starts with Binghamton, but he had a 3.90 GAA and a .876 save percentage. Those numbers need to be much better if he’s going to be the future of the Devils goaltending position.
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Johnson may be the best of a bad group right now, but he could end up being great. It’s been a while since a young goalie actually made an impact in the NHL. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Connor Hellebuyck, Matt Murray and John Gibson are the only goalies to unseat the older generation of goalie. This is why most teams are holding on to the older generation of goalie that’s shown what they can do.
Most teams are in a similar situation as the Devils. The goaltender position is not one that’s produced a ton of talent. That’s why they don’t get chosen in the first round of the NHL Draft despite being so important on the ice.
That’s why it’s worth taking a chance on Johnson. If he can supplant Blackwood on the AHL depth chart, it may be worth giving him the shot to be the goalie of the future. At least give him a shot to replace Keith Kinkaid if he decides not to re-sign.
Johnson should be given the keys to the B-Devils this season. Blackwood has been given the shot, and he will get more chances as time goes by. With Johnson only signed for one year, it’s time to figure out how long to give him the keys.