Mikhail Yegorov's lack of entry-level contract is either strategic or flawed

In the offseason, Pucks and Pitchforks ranked goaltender Mikhail Yegorov as the top prospect in the New Jersey Devils system. The Boston University goaltender is coming off an incredible season with the Terriers, joining them from the USHL midseason and dragging them to a Beanpot victory and to the National Championship Game in the Frozen Four. 

Since then, things have gone pretty terribly. His season was not nearly what we expected. He was supposed to be in the conversation for the Hobey Baker Award. He wasn’t even a semi-finalist for the Mike Richter Award, meaning he wasn’t even a top-10 goalie in the country. 

Now that his season with BU is over, we can look at the totality of his performance. He finished with 35 starts, holding a record of 16-15-2. He played in 35 of the Terriers’ 36 games.  That’s absolutely insane. Head coach Jay Pandolfo leaned all the way on Yegorov, for better or for worse.

And honestly, Yegorov might be a better pro for it. He now knows what it’s like to play a ridiculous schedule, and he’ll take that experience to the next level.

But, when is that level? 

Here’s the issue: Yegorov has done a lot in college already. The only thing he didn’t do was win a championship, but is that a reason to bring him back for another season? Of course, Pandolfo and the Terriers want him back. The defense for BU was terrible, with a ton of turnover from last season to this one. They should be better next season, but replacing one of the most talented goalies in the country will make things difficult. 

That isn’t the Devils’ problem. Well, it’s not their problem until it is. 

See, the Devils are not one of the teams rushing to sign their college prospects. There are a few who could/should be coming over. Chase Cheslock has been really good with the University of St. Thomas, and the Utica Comets could use some young talent. Cole Brown was a decent player for the University of Notre Dame. While it was his first season, he was a 2023 draft pick. Charlie Leddy became a really good defensive defenseman, and he just finished his fourth season in NCAA hockey. None of those players has signed.

Maybe the Devils are waiting until the season is over. There really isn’t a reason to waste a year on an entry-level contract if they don’t have to. However, there are options to sign Yegorov and other prospects. When Alexander Holtz came over from Sweden for the first time, they signed him to a tryout contract and gave him a three-year ELC that offseason. 

If this is strategic, then fine. We can get down with a strategic moment for Tom Fitzgerald. If this is something else, the Devils should put the full-court press on getting him signed. If he goes back to BU, it’s a failure.