3. Mackenzie Blackwood
The Devils had a massive goalie problem last season. Mackenzie Blackwood struggled to start the season, but obviously he figured it out in a big way. Then, the issue was every time he wasn’t in net, the Devils were going to get lit up. Cory Schneider just lost it. Whether that’s because of injury, lack of confidence, inability to play behind a bad defense, or a combination of all of them. The Devils bought him out, eating the final two years of his contract and stretching the cap hit over four seasons.
Now, the Devils have Corey Crawford, one of the most responsible goalies in the league over the last decade. He has an issue with injuries, but when he’s on the ice he’s expected to be a goalie with a .915 save percentage. That’s huge for a Devils team that’s been missing a backup for seemingly forever. Since the Devils had Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg in 2012 had the team really felt confident when the backup comes in.
Blackwood has a player that can split the starts with him. Four times Blackwood played both ends of a back to back last season. Next season, he should never have to do that. This is huge in a season that’s expected to be condensed, or at least playing 82 games in a shorter time span. That means more back to backs and a bigger need for two good goalies. If it was Blackwood and someone who couldn’t hold his own, then Blackwood would be playing back to backs quite often again. Since it’s Crawford, the Devils have a legit 1B option that will take a lot off of Blackwood’s plate.