Now let’s get to the disaster that was the New Jersey Devils goaltending. This is the big reason this team is in the draft lottery once again. With league average goaltending, this team would have been within a stone’s throw of the playoffs. GM Tom Fitzgerald made good bets two years in a row with veteran goalie backups, but this offseason he really needs to strike gold.
Mackenzie Blackwood
GS(GP): 24(25) W:9 GAA:3.39 Sv%: 89.2
We all knew he had to have a resurgence and starting the season he was supposed to be healthy and ready to go. The Blackwood we got however was still a fraction of the guy we got in his first year and as a result, this team was bad. They only got 25 games from him but even those were too much as he continued to cost this team games and keep fans on the edge of their seat for the wrong reasons. He has now gone from the future of this team in net to will he even is returning for another year and in my own opinion, going with him as the starter again is a bad plan.
Nico Daws
GS(GP): 23(25) W:10 GAA:3.11 Sv%: 89.3
The 21-year-old Nico Daws had the most wins for this team which is insane to think about and while he did have some good starts it is clear that he is not ready. He should have been in the AHL as planned but things got out of hand quickly as one can see with the number of goaltenders started. He still does have a bright future though and his 91.6 save percentage in the AHL looks good.
Jonathan Bernier
GS(GP): 8(10) W:4 GAA:3.06 Sv%: 90.2
Another year and another goalie over 30 who just can’t stay healthy for this team. His numbers weren’t great and he played so few games to be an impact guy this season. Next season he may or may not be back and we need to hope he gets healthy.
Jon Gilles
GS(GP): 14(19) W:3 GAA:3.76 Sv%: 88.5
Not an NHL goalie and there is not much more to say about this.
Andrew Hammond
GS(GP): 7(7) W:1 GAA:4.66 Sv%: 86.0
A good attempt to fill the void late but was just awful each and every game which Devils fans should probably be happy about. At 33 he was never going to be the goalie long term so him playing good would have just ruined draft position anyways and this is the last time we will see him in Jersey and probably the NHL
Scott Wedgewood
GS(GP): 2(3) W:0 GAA:3.19 Sv%: 88.0
The Devils lost him again and despite the numbers, he was left to dry by the defense in both his starts. He ended up playing for a terrible Arizona team and had a 91.1Sv% then was moved to Dallas where he continued to improve to 91.3% which speaks for itself.
Akira Schmidt
GS(GP): 4(6) W:0 GAA:4.83 Sv%: 83.3
Another fantastic AHL guy, not nearly NHL ready. Much like Nico Daws, he has been solid in the AHL with a 91.1 save percentage. At 21 he has a bright future but hopefully, the team keeps him where he can develop properly for at least another year or two.