New Jersey Devils: 5 Backup Goalies To Target In Free Agency

The New Jersey Devils thought they had their backup goalie problem fixed for the first time in years. Since 2013, the second goalie always seemed to be an issue. That season, Johan Hedberg seemed to lose his shine in the last season of his career. Martin Brodeur was also late in his career, and he couldn’t lift up the position like he used to (also, he got injured). Since then, it’s been the hardest thing to find the right secondary option in net. Sometimes Cory Schneider falls off a map, other times Brodeur was struggling to stay healthy, and there was the season Keith Kinkaid could not live up to his best work.

Last season, that was supposed to be fixed. The Devils had what looked like an elite option in Mackenzie Blackwood, but with the weird schedule, the Devils needed a reliable second option. Tom Fitzgerald signed former Stanley Cup Champion Corey Crawford to a two-year deal. He should have still been here now, but he decided that retirement was the best option for him instead of playing a game away from the Chicago Blackhawks organization.

That left the Devils with Scott Wedgewood, Aaron Dell, and for one game Eric Comrie to hold down backup duties. Wedgewood looked pretty good at times, but he wasn’t consistent enough to be a long-term option as a backup.

Lucky enough for the Devils, this year has a stacked free-agent market for goalies. There are options for long-term deals, short-term deals, high-priced options, and then some high-upside options to play behind Blackwood.

With a more normal season, the Devils can be picky with their goalie option. Hopefully, Blackwood comes out stronger after COVID really destroyed this season for him and the team. The Devils still should look hard at a 1A-1B scenario. Which goalies should the Devils target?