New Jersey Devils Aren’t Making Trade For Alexander Georgiev
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils have been and will be tied to every single goaltender on the market. So far, they’ve been tied to Jack Campbell, Darcy Kuemper, and Ville Husso. It sounds like Husso could re-sign with the Blues, so that takes another piece off the list. One intriguing option has popped up for the Devils via friend of the Let’s Go Devils podcast Larry Brooks. The Hall of Fame New York Post reporter says the Devils and New York Rangers could make a move on a player who currently plays for their biggest rival in his most recent article.
"“We’re hearing as well that the Devils could have interest in Alex Georgiev if he becomes unrestricted this summer, but likely as part of a tandem operation rather than as a No. 1.”"
That’s an interesting proposition. The Devils could go after Alexandar Georgiev, who is currently on the Rangers. However, the Rangers hold his rights. As you noticed, Brooks never said “trade”. He was talking about the Devils’ interest in signing Georgiev as a free agent. The Devils and Rangers made on trade in their history, and it went terribly for the Devils.
For that to happen, the Rangers have to decide they can’t afford to even give him a qualifying offer. That’s incredibly rare for a player who has value, and it would shock a lot of people. However, it seems like that’s what could happen according to Brooks. His QO would be $2.65 million next season. The Rangers are starting a new contract for Igor Shesterkin that pays him around $5.67 million per season. That’s a steal for the best goalie in the league short of Andrei Vasilevskiy. Paying a total of $8 million for a goalie tandem really isn’t that much.
However, the Rangers have just over $11 million in cap space this offseason. Kaapo Kakko, Julien Gauthier, and Georgiev are their restricted free agents. That should account for around $5 million unless they get traded. That leaves only $6 million to add two defensemen, two forwards, and one more player to serve as an extra.
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The Rangers have seven unrestricted free agents this offseason. That includes important players like Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, and Ryan Strome. Those are all very expensive options when the team is dealing with margins this small. Maybe the Rangers would decide to go cheap for a backup goalie.
The point is the Devils won’t be bailing the Rangers out of this situation no matter how bad they want a goalie. Georgiev had a rough season (career-low .898 save percentage in 33 games). He was decent in the playoffs when he was forced to replace Shesterkin, but that was just 58 total minutes.
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The Devils might be smart to target Georgiev if he’s available for free. However, would the Rangers make that move if they knew the Devils were going to pounce? If they did, it’s buyer beware for the Devils.