The New Jersey Devils could use a goalie behind Mackenzie Blackwood.
The New Jersey Devils are a team that needs help in the net. It can’t be stated enough how good Mackenzie Blackwood was in 2019-20. He took the torch from Cory Schneider who had been struggling for a long time before that and ran with it. It is presumably his team now but he does need help. Even if can make 60 starts a season or more, the other games could be a key to the team getting into the playoffs or being way out of the mix.
It seems like Schneider might be on his way out after the way he was handled last season. He was back and forth from the AHL after an appearance on the waivers. It has been tough for him but a chance somewhere else might be the best course of action for both him and the team. Schneider was a great player for a long time on mostly bad teams and he never complained.
There are, however, some interesting replacements that are available. The free-agent market has more goalies this offseason than there has been in a long time. It feels like the Devils are going to have a chance to bring in a great goaltender. There are some on the younger side and others who are older but bring winning experience.
The goaltender position is very important to hockey which is why it needs to be evaluated every offseason. If things are great, keep it going. If there could be an improvement, do it. For the Devils, the second goaltender behind Blackwood falls under the “needs improvement” category. These are some free agents they can look at to try and help improve the position: