Fansided

New Jersey Devils: Hard To Believe, But This Is Best Case Scenario

By Nick Villano |
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 08: T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals and Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the New Jersey Devils collide in the first period at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 08: T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals and Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the New Jersey Devils collide in the first period at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

The New Jersey Devils lost another dreadful game against the Washington Capitals. While this may be hard to watch, these results are the best we can hope for right now.

The New Jersey Devils are just playing an unwatchable style of hockey. While things started well against the Washington Capitals, the Devils couldn’t break Braden Holtby, getting shutout for the second time in three games. Scoring one goal in the past three games have given fans basically nothing to cheer for. However, the one thing they truly needed is actually happening.

The only thing happening right now that has any impact on the play of next season’s team is the play of the goalies. The Devils had the worst goaltending in the first half of the season. It’s one of the main reasons why the team had no chance on making the playoffs by the time the calendar turned to 2019.

The Devils have pieces on their way to help. They have forwards and defensemen in their prospect ranks that are close to NHL ready, if not ready right now. The one thing that wasn’t clear was who would man the net from here on out. Now, it looks like the Devils have two viable options going in to next season.

Mackenzie Blackwood has been the biggest surprise of the Devils season. We were just about ready to give up on the 22-year-old goalie. He was downright awful in the AHL last season. He was also quite back in the 2016 World Junior Championship. It seemed when something was on the line, he could not play.

This season, he’s posted a .932 save percentage. This, after stopping 33 of 35 shots against the Washington Capitals. This included stopping all shots while down two men against one of the best power play teams in the league.

Then there’s Cory Schneider, who himself looked like a lost cause coming into this season. He went a full year without winning a game. For the first half of the season, he was the worst goalie in the National Hockey League. 89 goalies played in a game this season. None of them were worse than Schneider was to start the season.

The fact that Schneider got his mojo back was more important than anything that could have happened in this lost season. The Devils have three more seasons with Schneider at $6 million per season. Now, he will never give them the production at that pay level, but if he’s a league-average starting goalie, then most will be happy.

More from Pucks and Pitchforks

To have the Devils goalie playing at this level, yet not ruining their position in the NHL Draft lottery it crucial to make next year’s team as great as possible. The Devils likely won’t pass the Ottawa Senators in the draft rankings, but there’s a chance they can watch as the Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings get more points than them on accident.

As of tonight, the Devils have a 28.8% chance to get a top three pick. If they fall to second worst in the league, that jumps to 38.8%. It’s still far from a guarantee, but it’s a much better bet.

This season will go down in history as one of the worst. From the poor effort against the top teams in the league to the rash of injuries the current team is dealing with, it’s a season to forget. However, if the goalies stay on track through next season, and this ends with a true contender thanks to a top draft pick, then it may end up being the best thing that happened to this franchise.

Home / Editorials