The New Jersey Devils took the ice for their first real game action of the season, taking on the New York Rangers on Sunday at the Prudential Center. It wasn’t the best affair, as the Rangers beat the Devils 5-3, but both teams had mostly fringe roster players in the lineup. There was some good for the Devils, including the play of Arseniy Gritsyuk, but there was one huge negative that directly impacted the result.
Nico Daws was absolutely awful in this game.
He faced 13 shots after coming in to replace Jake Allen to start the second period. He allowed four goals for a stunning .692 save percentage. This was obviously not the start Daws needed to prove he’s an NHL-caliber goalie. Outside the Gritsyuk-Cody Glass-Paul Cotter line, Daws and Allen were the only NHL-caliber players in the contest.
Daws did not play like he was NHL caliber in this game. The goalies he gave up were not incredibly difficult shots. Two did come from high-danger areas, but they were particularly weak shots. He did give up a goal on a breakaway, which happens in the preseason, but the other three goals should have been stopped.
It’s not ideal during a season when Daws is fighting for his NHL life and is on a one-way contract this season. Many thought he could fight for a job in the NHL as a third goalie, but if this performance is any indication, there’s no chance that happens.
However, this is just the first preseason game, and we have much more positive tape on Daws than we do negative tape. He had a .939 save percentage in the NHL last season. He’s been in the league for a few years now and is the only non-guaranteed goalie with NHL experience on the roster. The Devils saw the departure of some depth goalies, including Isaac Poulter who signed this offseason with the Winnipeg Jets.
The Devils were likely to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. With Daws likely getting claimed off waivers by the many goalie-needy teams in the league, New Jersey was about to lose him for nothing. However, waiver rules state you have to keep a player in the NHL once claimed, or the original team can claim him back and place him in the AHL. If the player sticks in the NHL for a short period and is put back on waivers, the Devils get AHL priority if they want him back.
With a save percentage under .700, nobody is going to put a claim on Daws. So, the Devils will likely keep him under the franchise’s control for one more season, depending on how everything goes.
Of course, this was just one disastrous performance, and Daws could perform well throughout the preseason from here on out. He could also still get claimed by a desperate team hoping his 2024-25 numbers stick out more than nothing preseason games do.
Still, for those hoping the Devils keep Daws around, this is helpful to the cause. It’s not great to see a player struggle, but it could be for the greater good.