New Jersey Devils: 5 Under-the-Radar Goalie Trade Options
By Nick Villano
Chris Driedger
This one could be fun. The Seattle Kraken tried to use a great goaltending duo to compete in its first year in the league. They selected upcoming UFA Chris Driedger from the Florida Panthers and immediately gave him a contract. Then in free agency, they spent big bucks on Philipp Grubauer. Driedger suffered a serious knee injury that cost him all of last season, outside of a run in the AHL.
The Devils could come in and spend basically nothing to take a chance on Driedger. He is still under 30 years old, he was great with the Florida Panthers, and there’s a good chance that a year removed from knee surgery leads to his best season yet. Can the Devils find lightning in a bottle with Dreidger?
The issue with this is this would be the only goalie move the Devils can make. He’s making $3.5 million against the salary cap. The Devils couldn’t afford Hellebuyck or Gibson, even with cap gymnastics and midseason trades. Driedger would be their move. Is that enough?
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It probably isn’t. Maybe if the Kraken hold half of Driedger’s salary, it could make more sense for the Devils. $1.75 million is a fair price for a good backup. It is a risk, but it might be one worth taking.