The New Jersey Devils made a few huge splashes in free agency this year. Dougie Hamilton was obviously the top prize. He was by far the best defenseman on the market, and everyone in the analytics community agrees he’s ready to be a top defender alongside this Devils team. Tomas Tatar was a great move to add some scoring to the top of the lineup. He has struggled in the playoffs, which likely scared off some teams, but the Devils have to make the playoffs for it to matter.
The real interesting piece was the price the Devils paid for Jonathan Bernier. His contract says he should be the starting goaltender, but the Devils theoretically have that in Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood has shown he is capable of being elite in the net, but consistency is not his strong suit. He was terrible at times last season, but he says that his COVID diagnosis has a lot to do with it. He was starting to look better at the end of the season, but it was too late at that point.
So, the Devils paid Bernier $8.25 million over two years to come and be a second option. It’s clear he won’t be a traditional backup. The question now becomes how much of a starter will he be. Does he get a true 50-50 split? Is he here to play 41 games, or is he here to play 50+?
Bernier’s contract puts him 22nd on the list of highest-paid goalies in the league. Blackwood is tied for 35th on that list with Joonas Korpisalo. When looking at the salaries, it’s clear who the starter and backup are. Bernier isn’t making crazy money, but the Devils made it a point to give him that contract.
The Corey Crawford fiasco from last season really put a damper on the Devils goalie situation. He retired in the middle of training camp on a shortened season and left the Devils desperately claiming every goalie in sight. They took a chance on Eric Comrie, Aaron Dell, and Scott Wedgewood, but it was Blackwood or bust all season. After he got sick, it was mostly bust.
Bernier played very well last season. He put up a .914 save percentage and 4.7 goals saved above average. He legitimately kept the Detroit Red Wings in games by himself. He has been inconsistent in the past as well, but our most recent example of his play is great. Blackwood really needs to come into this training camp and show the former elite self that made Devils fans excited for the future.
Tom Fitzgerald still considers him part of the core with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Ty Smith. However, for this season, the Devils might consider giving Bernier the torch to lead this team to wins.