Going into the offseason, there were a lot of questions that needed to be answered by the New Jersey Devils and new general manager Sunny Mehta. How would Mehta add to the offense? Would Simon Nemec be on the move? If so, would the Devils be adding a gamebreaker? But perhaps the biggest question was: what will he do with the goaltending?
The Devils had just two goalies under contract coming into this year. Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen. Nico Daws, Tyler Brennan, and Jakub Malek were all pending restricted free agents. The goaltending has been a weakness for the Devils organization ever since Jack Hughes broke into the league.
In fact, the only year the Devils got above-average goaltending was the one year they set the franchise record in wins. The goalies that year were, obviously, Vitek Vanecek, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Akria Schmid. All three goalies would be gone within a calendar year.
Going back to Jack Hughes' rookie year with then-general manager Tom Fitzgerald, the Devils have played 16 different goalies. From Cory Schneider to Jacob Markstrom, there has been a mix of good and bad between the pipes in Newark. With Hughes entering year eight of his career, the Devils are still without a bright future in the most important position in the sport.
The Devils are once again putting their season in the hands of questionable goaltending
The Devils announced that Daws, Jake Allen, and recent waiver claim Remi Poirier would be a three-man tandem to at least start the season in New Jersey. Once again, a rotating cast of characters that you are unsure of what you are going to get. Allen has not had a starter's workload since Taylor Hall won his MVP with the Devils. Daws has had a few cups of coffee in the NHL. Poirier has yet to make his NHL debut.
With a crucial year in Jack Hughes career and his eldest brother trying to decide where he wants to win for the next few years, the Devils are once again potentially hamstrung by suspect goaltending. With Connor Hellebuyck available, an all-world goalie and Olympic teammate of Hughes, Mehta could silence the critics of the team's weakest position.
There are two risks that Mehta could take with the goaltending. The one he is doing right now is hoping that someone like Poirier or Daws can become the next Brandon Bussi. A cheap option that takes the hockey world by storm and backstops a team to a Stanley Cup final. The NHL is a copycat league, so it makes sense as to why Mehta would do this.
In the same breath, as a first-time general manager, you cannot take that risk. You cannot just hope someone can become the 2014-15 Andrew Hammond. Yes, that Andrew Hammond, who was one of the 16 goalies who played for the Devils since Hughes' NHL debut.
Trading for Connor Hellebuyck would be a massive swing for Mehta during Hughes' prime. Hellebuyck matches the Devils' hope to compete. Hughes has four more years left on his deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Where Quinn Hughes goes is anyone's guess.
The worst possible thing Mehta can do is look at each of those four years and hope someone can be the next Brandon Bussi. Maybe one of his choices hits. But if the last eight years are any indication of what is to come, Mehta should go after the proven commodity in Hellebuyck.
What was once the Devils' greatest strength is the Devils' biggest weakness for the ninth year in a row. It just so happens that every one of those nine years has been the start of Jack Hughes' career.
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