The New Jersey Devils are one goalie lighter after making a handful of training camp roster cuts Monday, with goalie prospect Jakub Malek headed to the AHL Utica Comets for his first pro season in North America.
One name that is sticking around, though, is goalie Georgi Romanov, who signed a professional tryout offer with the Devils on Sept. 5. He, Jake Allen, Jacob Markstrom, and Nico Daws are the last goalies remaining with the Devils as the preseason starts to come to a close.
The big story here is that Adam Scheel, who had also signed a PTO with the Devils, left for the KHL for a full-time opportunity. That leaves Romanov, 25, as the Devils' insurance for Daws, now that the top goalie prospect is no longer waivers-exempt.
Daws hasn't necessarily played well enough this preseason to warrant being claimed off waivers, but a goalie-needy team, like the Edmonton Oilers, for example, could make a bid for his services.
After all, the 24-year-old does have 52 NHL games and 22 wins to his name, and he did go 3-1-0 in six games last season with a 1.60 GAA and .939 save percentage. Daws' save percentages of .893 and .894 in the previous two seasons are at least serviceable numbers, as well.
So, if the Devils are to lose Daws to another team due to the numbers game with Allen and Markstrom, that's where Romanov could seize the opportunity to earn himself a contract with New Jersey.
The 25-year-old Russian does have some NHL experience, albeit an 0-6-0 record in 10 games with the lowly San Jose Sharks to the tune of a 3.53 GAA and .888 save percentage. I'd like to think the Devils are better than the Sharks all around, so it's not something to worry about until we see it in action.
In fact, Romanov had a save percentage of .906 or higher in four of his last five appearances for the Sharks last season, but the Sharks scored two or fewer goals in all five of those games. Talk about a lack of goal support for a young goalie playing well.
To take it a step further, regardless of Romanov's individual performance, the Sharks lost every game the 6-foot-5 netminder appeared in at the NHL level, scoring two or fewer goals in each.
As for the AHL, Romanov is a respectable 20-15-13 with a 3.12 GAA and .904 save percentage on, again, a not-so-great San Jose Barracuda club.
Whether or not Romanov sees NHL action this season remains to be seen, but he's a much better option for the Devils organization than many have given him credit for this month. The formerly undrafted goalie should make for a good running mate for Malek and support for Markstrom and Allen if and when needed by the Devils.