The New Jersey Devils have a goalie problem. And, unfortunately, it’s the organization’s own doing.
This summer, the Devils made the right call by moving on from Jacob Markstrom. It was the sort of move that fans had been calling for a while. While Markstrom has had a bit of a good start with the Florida Panthers, the shaky goalie everyone has come to know has begun to creep in.
That aside, Sunny Mehta’s decision to roll with Jake Allen and Nico Daws raised some eyebrows. Mehta famously referred to the goaltending position as “random,” dismissing the need to trade for a high-end goalie.
Well, that randomness caught up to Daws in his first start of the season, a 6-0 shellacking at the hands of the New York Islanders. Had that game occurred against the Colorado Avalanche, fans would have acknowledged the type of offensive firepower in the Colorado lineup.
But the Islanders? The Isles aren’t necessarily known as a goal-scoring juggernaut. That’s why this situation is so concerning.
Now, there’s really nothing to worry about with Allen. He’s the type of guy that you know what you’re going to get. It’s Daws that’s going to be the weak link in the chain this season. And unless he can turn things around, Mehta will be forced to address the randomness holding back the Devils’ crease.
It’s still a bit early to worry about the situation
Despite the final score, Allen held his own on Tuesday night against the Utah Mammoth. His defense made multiple mistakes and left him out to dry on more than one occasion.
Utah is a young, fast-paced team that gave the Devils a handful. Still, Allen gave up five goals on 31 shots, and, well, that's not really encouraging. Yes, Allen gave the Devils a chance to win, but at the end of the day, it was not enough.
The concerns will hit an even higher point whenever Daws hits the ice again. Since Sheldon Keefe can’t go with Allen every game, even if he wanted to, Keefe will have to hold his breath with Daws.
For the time being, Daws will get a chance to establish himself. If he can do that, well, Mehta won’t look crazy. However, if the 25-year-old continues to show cracks in the façade, the Devils may have no choice but to find another goalie to tandem with Allen.
And no, it won’t be Connor Hellebuyck. As much as rumors have circulated around Hellebuyck and the Devils, Mehta might be thinking twice about the price tag the Winnipeg Jets have attached to their former starting goalie.
Ultimately, the Devils’ goaltending problem has the chance to go away on its own. But that’s not a strategy that an analytics disciple like Mehta wants to bank on. Given what we saw on Tuesday night, Allen will have to become the stalwart for the Devils.
It's either that or turning to Remi Poireir.
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