New Jersey Devils: 5 Free Agent Goalie Options
The New Jersey Devils probably have the goalie situation in a good place, but there are some really intriguing options in free agency. The Devils basically had three goalies this season; Akira Schmid, Vitek Vanecek, and Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood is absolutely gone once we learn about qualifying offers. The Nico Daws injury really threw a wrench into things, since he’s going to miss the beginning of next season with a hip injury, as was first reported by Ben Birnell of the Rome Sentinel.
That could complicate the situation. It seemed pretty clear that the Devils would go with Vanecek and Schmid in the NHL and Daws with Tyler Brennan in the AHL. With Daws out for possibly half the season, the Devils could decide to go for a veteran.
Or, the Devils might be looking to sign a star to get them over the top. Vanecek was pretty good in the regular season, but he was atrocious in the playoffs. Schmid was much better, but the jury is still out if he can be a full-time starter. Let’s take a look at who might be a good stopgap option. First, we’ll look at the unrestricted free agents.
Laurent Brossoit
Most probably hope if the Devils target any Vegas Golden Knights goalie, it’s Adin Hill. He is a restricted free agent at the perfect time, coming off a Stanley Cup championship. However, this is a player that’s going to get the bag based on profile alone. Hill had career highs in games played and had good numbers, but he struggled to stay healthy.
The Devils should look at Laurent Brossoit, the player who was the Knights starter at the beginning of the playoffs. He got hurt in the second round, and Hill took over. He was having a rough series, which hurt his overall playoff numbers. He had a good season with a .927 save percentage. He might agree to be the other option and fight Akira Schmid for the backup job. The Devils would be willing to have him in a Scott Wedgewood-type role for the right price.
Tristan Jarry
Let’s look at some starter options for a moment. Vanecek was good in the regular season, but the Devils might want something a little more guaranteed. Tristan Jarry will look for a starter’s opportunity, but being the starter in New Jersey might be too good to give up. Would Jarry take slightly less to come to NJ?
Jarry’s story is one of injuries. He looked like he was going to carry the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first half of the season. Then, he got injured in January. When he returned in February, he wasn’t the same goalie. His first half save percentage of .917 dropped to .890 over the final 23 starts of the season.
It’s hard to say Jarry is anything but a really good goalie. His issue is health. The Devils definitely shouldn’t give him a long-term deal. Nobody should, really. Would that make him available for a one or two-year deal at the right price? Look at what the Devils did for Vanecek’s value. Would the Devils be the type of team that free agents join to gain value?
Jarry would be the perfect player in that sense. If he signs a one-year deal, trying to win a championship, and he goes far in the playoffs, he could sign a much bigger deal. It’s a risk, but he’s 28 years old. He can afford to take a risk hoping he can eventually sign a Darcy Kuemper deal next offseason.
Joonas Korpisalo
This one might get too expensive for the Devils, but it’s definitely worth a shot. Joonas Korpisalo might be the best option in unrestricted free agency. That usually ends with people overpaying for players, but goalies tend to be different. Korpisalo is especially different because he hasn’t been incredibly consistent, but that could scare people away. Korpisalo seemed to find some consistency this season, which is why the Los Angeles Kings went after him.
Korpisalo had a .921 save percentage after his trade to the Kings. He was even .913 with the Blue Jackets, a terrible team this season.
However, this comes with serious worries. Korpisalo had an .877 save percentage last season. He was considered the worst starter in the NHL. To be fair, the entire Blue Jackets goalie room was going through tragedy after the death of Matiss Kivlenieks. Who knows the impact grief has on a person.
Korpisalo is just 29 years old, so he has some time left in his prime. Would the Devils be willing to go three years on a deal? Is that even worthwhile? What would it cost? There are a lot of questions here. It might now work, but again, it’s worth a conversation.
Alex Lyon
The Florida Panthers rode the wave of Alex Lyon into the playoffs. That’s the part of the Panthers run to the Stanley Cup Final nobody is talking about. If Sergei Bobrovski was the goalie during the end of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins would have been the team playing the Boston Bruins in the first round.
However, because of that narrative, Alex Lyon probably isn’t going to get starter money. That puts him back into the Devils negotiating window. They need someone who isn’t going to command an insane salary.
Lyon doesn’t really have a place with the Panthers. Bobrovski isn’t going anywhere after his playoff performance. Spencer Knight is still the goalie of the future unless there’s something we don’t know about his hiatus. So, Lyon will look for a chance this offseason. The Devils can offer that. Will he be willing to fight for his NHL shot again?
Lyon finished the season with a .914 save percentage. He’s gotten better every season, but he’s already 30 and his career high in games played is 15. He’s been an AHL goalie for most of his career, and this might be his only chance to cash out at all. The Devils are just one year removed from needing seven goalies, so they might be willing to keep three NHL goalies.
Joey Daccord
This one might be coming out of left field, but Joey Daccord is coming off a championship season. He led the Coachella Valley Firebirds to the Calder Cup Finals (which is still going). He has a .926 save percentage through 22 games. He’s the reason this upstart Coachella Valley team made its own Cinderella run this season.
Daccord is going to be a Group 6 UFA this offseason. The Seattle Kraken organization need to look hard at the options in net, because Daccord is 26 years old. Maybe this was the season he finally hit his stride.
The former Senators draft pick and the Kraken’s choice in the expansion draft, Daccord has talent for sure. However, it’s never translated to the NHL. Despite having a .918 save percentage in the AHL this season, he has a .900 save percentage in the big leagues. It’s better than the .850 he had in limited NHL time last season, but it’s not good.
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Daccord proved he at least deserves a shot, and that’s kind of where the Devils hope to find someone. This could be a great chance to have three goalies with a goalie who proves he can do it when it matters. Last year, the Chicago Wolves won the Calder Cup with Pyotr Kochetkov (possibly the future in Carolina) and Alex Lyon (already covered his great season). Can Daccord fight his way to the NHL full time? We’d like to see if he can do it with the Devils.