The New Jersey Devils are set in net. They have veterans Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom as their 2025-26 combo, and they still have Nico Daws on the roster. The future looks bright with Mikhail Yegorov, Jakub Malen, and Trenten Bennett in the pipeline. The net is secure in New Jersey for the first time in a long time.
It’s probably as good as we’ve felt about the goalie position since 2018. Back then, Cory Schneider looked like he still had something left in the tank, and Keith Kinkaid was taking over as the starter. Kinkaid’s great play led to the Devils (along with Taylor Hall’s MVP performance) making the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Kinkaid was with the Devils from the time he signed with the Albany Devils in 2011 until he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fifth-round pick three years into the future after a dreadful 2018-19 season. He never played for the Blue Jackets, as he was their third-string goaltender, but he signed with the Montreal Canadiens that next season.
Keith Kinkaid isn't ready to give up on the NHL
After that, Kinkaid played for the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and Colorado Avalanche in between stints in the AHL. He even returned to the Devils for a short period in 2023. The Devils were looking for veteran depth behind Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. Kinkaid was loaned to the Chicago Wolves AHL team, and he never played another game for the Devils.
Now, the 36-year-old is looking to find his way back to the NHL. It seems unlikely since he failed to have a .900 save percentage last year for the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates, but his fantastic play this offseason might give him a shot.
Kinkaid told NHL.com’s George Richards that he still has gas left in the tank. He’s currently playing in 3ICE, an eight-team, 3-on-3 professional tournament down in South Florida. He has played well in this tournament, and Devils legend Ken Daneyko is coaching an opposing team to Kinkaid’s. He gave the former Devils netminder credit for a win earlier this week.
This tournament isn’t going up against NHL talent, so Kinkaid still has a long way to go to become an NHL backup. However, this tournament is doing a good job erasing the issues he showed last season in the ECHL. Will someone give him an NHL shot? It seems unlikely, but enough injuries in the preseason could change things.