Right now, the New Jersey Devils seem committed to going into the 2026-27 season with a three-headed monster in net. They are relying on the old adage that the Devils can make the playoffs with average goaltending. By the letter of the law, Jake Allen, Nico Daws, and David Rittich were very average last year.
All three of them finished 32nd, 34th, and 35th in goals-saved above average per game. Allen’s numbers would have been a little better if he wasn’t used in an insane way during the last month of the season, and Rittich and Daws had pretty good first halves, but the numbers are the numbers.
Because of their relative uncertainty, Devils fans were hoping that moving on from Jacob Markstrom meant greener pastures in net. The Devils fanbase has been dealing with the most insane luck post-Martin Brodeur.
Cory Schneider’s hip exploded, Keith Kinkaid lost his magic, Mackenzie Blackwood couldn’t get centered and lost what made him great, Vitek Vanecek proved to be a one-hit wonder, Corey Crawford retired before playing a game in New Jersey, Jonathan Bernier also had his hip explode, sending him into early retirement, Jon Gillies existed, they gave something up for Andrew Hammond, Akira Schmid won them a playoff series and never played like a starter again, and now, the Markstrom saga. Heck, we feel like we’re missing someone.
Fixing the goaltending once and for all seems like a top priority for the Devils. GM Sunny Mehta did start to make moves to get this team on the right track in net. The team fired Dave Rogalski and replaced him with Dan Stewart. Overseeing goaltending from the front office will be Leo Luongo.
This focus on this position will help in the long run. However, the Devils still need the right players. If there’s even an inkling they don’t have that right now, someone just became available.
Statement from Connor Hellebuyck: pic.twitter.com/hW8sNw1LJi
— Ray Petkau (@RayPetkau) August 27, 2026
Connor Hellebuyck is officially on the market
Connor Hellebuyck joins fellow players on Team USA to ask for a trade this offseason, including Brady Tkachuk, Dylan Larkin, and Zach Werenski. As you can see, only one of those players was actually traded, with Tkachuk going to the Florida Panthers to join his brother.
The Hellebuyck rumors have been widely known for a while, but now that they are public, the pressure is on Winnipeg to get something done.
We have been here before with Hellebuyck and the Devils. He was apparently tied to New Jersey years ago prior to signing his massive extension. Since then, the top American goalie has won a gold medal and a league MVP. Now, in the middle of that extension, Hellebuyck is pushing to play somewhere else.
The Devils make sense for a trade on paper, but most believe that Hellebuyck is Buffalo-bound. We will see what the future holds, but this could be the splash that puts the Devils into the Metropolitan Division conversation.
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