Should New Jersey Devils Bring In Another Goalie Right Now?

The New Jersey Devils likely have the worst goaltending situation in the league. If they don’t (the Buffalo Sabres have a good claim to that as well), they are at least the biggest discrepancy between talent in net and talent on the ice. The Devils are constantly outplaying opponents in all other factors, but the goalie tends to be the difference. Take their last game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Devils had five 5v5 goals against three 5v5 goals for the Blackhawks. Yet, the Blackhawks won the game 8-5.

The Devils did give up two empty-net goals, so the real score was 6-5. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. The Devils had more total chances by a lot, more high-danger chances at even strength, high-danger chances at all strengths, and more advanced statistics that show the Devils were the better team. It was clearly an issue in net.

Back in December, the Devils traded future considerations for Jon Gillies. It was surprising since teams were willing to make moves for goalies this season. No goalie is making it through waivers, and that includes Scott Wedgewood. He was on the Devils to start the season, but the team lost him for nothing back. The Devils tried to sneak him through waivers in November, and that seems to be one of the worst moves of the season.

The Devils now have Jon Gillies, Nico Daws, and Akira Schmid to play in net. It’s literally a worst-case scenario. When the team is desperate for a Scott Wedgewood type, then it is just a bad situation overall. Jonathan Bernier is already out for the season after hip surgery, and the latest on Mackenzie Blackwood shows we’re no closer to seeing him back on the ice.

Now, the Devils could spend assets to help their situation. However, what good would that do? Well, there could be some positives that come from it. The Devils don’t need to lose much more. Especially with a lottery, losing might not help the Devils in the long run. Winning, however, could show this team it’s better than the record shows.

Who could the Devils target? We’re not looking at long-term options here. The Devils need someone to get them through the last 30+ games this season. Who might be available? There are some options. Jonas Korpisalo could be an interesting option on Columbus. He’s having a down season and he’s about to head to unrestricted free agency. It might be worthwhile to the Devils to bring him in for a low price. At least he’s an NHL-competent goalie.

There are other options. Heck, the Devils could probably convince the Arizona Coyotes to give them Wedgewood back for a price. They could call the Buffalo Sabres about Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Aaron Dell to get them through the season. Mikko Koskinen is an intriguing option, and the Oilers might pay the Devils to take him off their hands.

If the Devils can get a goalie for dirt cheap, then the team should make the move. They shouldn’t give real assets just to survive the season. However, if we’re talking about 5th-to-7th-round picks in the NHL Draft, the Devils might as well give the team a chance to win on a nightly basis.