Pucks and Pitchforks
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5 Goalies That Can Save New Jersey Devils Next Season

By Nick Villano

Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Chicago Blackhawks stretches in warmups prior to the game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on October 15, 2021 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Chicago Blackhawks stretches in warmups prior to the game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on October 15, 2021 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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New Jersey Devils
Chris Driedger #60 of the Seattle Kraken (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /

Chris Driedger

Something is completely off with the Seattle Kraken this season. After some of the analysts said the Kraken were going to be a playoff team this season, they are sitting in the basement of the league. One of the main reasons for the team’s lackluster play is the play of the goaltenders. They made big plays to sign free agents Philip Grubauer and Chris Driedger. Grubauer has been the worst starting goalie in the league. No goalie has a worse goals saved above average. Blackwood is actually third worst on that list.

Meanwhile, Driedger is having a bad season himself. He has an .890 save percentage, which is awful. However, while Grubauer’s GSAA is around -20, Driedger is stopping around the exact amount of goals he’s expected to. He’s not letting in soft goals. He’s just facing an insane amount of high-danger chances.

The real issue with Driedger is his save percentage on the penalty kill. Something is very wrong when the other team gets a man advantage. He has a .796 save percentage on the PK. That is very bad. It’s bringing his save percentage down entirely. He actually has a .915 5v5 save percentage. (Thanks Natural Stat Trick for the stats.)

Driedger was phenomenal for the Panthers, and he was a big reason for the optimism in Seattle. The Kraken might want to reset the goaltender position, and the Devils should explore a trade with the Kraken here. Driedger would be a great backup if he could prove what’s happening this season is a one-time blip.

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