3 Goalies New Jersey Devils Should Target That Nobody is Talking About
The usual names in goalie trade talks continue to go on. Maybe waiting until the offseason gives Tom Fitzgerald more options in the goalie market. These are three of those possible names that nobody has been talking about that could become available.
Until the move is made, acquiring a number one goalie will be all -or at least most- that New Jersey Devils fans talk about. We've seen it sink seasons for the better part of a decade and this year was no different.
Tom Fitzgerald insists that he will go "big game hunting" in the offseason. If there's any silver lining, however, it's that he looks to have found his 1B next season in Jake Allen. Allen has delivered some fantastic performances in a small sample size and should settle in nicely as the backup next season.
This offseason is put up or shut up for Fitzgerald in regards to the goaltending. We've heard the rumors surrounding Jacob Markstrom, Juuse Saros, and even Linus Ullmark, but one of the reasons for waiting until the offseason to make a big goalie move is that a new name may become available.
Dissecting other teams' rosters, cap situations, and potential moves in the offseason, we've identified three names we've identified that could be in play for the number one goalie job that not many are talking about.
Logan Thompson - Vegas Golden Knights
How about bringing back a former Devil? Yes, you read that right. Thompson was signed to an AHL contract back in 2018 by the then-Binghamton Devils. He spent the 2018-19 season between the AHL and ECHL before moving on.
Fast forward five years later and Thompson is an NHL regular and a Stanley Cup champion. Thompson - for a brief period- looked like the long-term answer in net for Vegas. That is until Adin Hill came out of nowhere. Still, over the past two seasons, Thompson has had a pretty regular workload and has put together solid seasons. In 2022-23, he recorded a 2.65 GAA and a 0.915 SV%, in 37 games. Through 39 starts in 2023-24, Thompson has slightly regressed, putting up a 2.72 GAA and a 0.907 SV%. However, his Goals Saved Above Expected has gone up this year from 0.1 to 4.0.
Thompson and Vegas are in a unique situation. Vegas is about as pressed up against the salary cap as possible, and Thompson will be due for a big extension after the 2024-25 season. He is on a very team-friendly $766,667 contract which would make it difficult for Vegas to part with. However, they run the risk of losing him for nothing at the end of next season.
The Devils meanwhile, could offer a young and inexpensive goalie (likely Akira Schmid) as well as another asset or two and have the money for an extension. Vegas's GM Kelly McCrimmon is no stranger to making big moves, and if Thompson is made available then Fitzgerald should get on the phone with him and make a deal.
Filip Gustavsson - Minnesota Wild
Minnesota is stuck in one of the weirdest situations in the entire NHL. They have nearly $15 million of dead cap space from buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter and are forever stuck in purgatory. For years they've been good enough to make the playoffs or get close to it, but can never get over the hump. However, they have one of the deepest prospect pools in the league, highlighted by Swedish phenom, goalie Jesper Wallstedt.
While adding Wallstedt would be nice, there's a less than zero percent chance of that happening. Instead, the Devils should go over their current 1A in Filip Gustavsson. An incredible 2022-23 season in which he recorded a 2.10 GAA, a 0.931 SV%, and an insane 24.2 GSAx saw him earn a three-year, $3.75 million AAV extension.
His numbers in 2023-24 have been less than stellar so far. He has a 3.15 GAA and a 0.897 SV%, as well as seeing his GSAx plummet to -4.0. It would be a risky get, but the Devils should buy the dip. for starters, Gustavsson is still just 25 years old. He is also on a relatively good contract that the Devils would have no problem absorbing for the next two seasons. From Minnesota's vantage point, cap space is at an absolute premium for them. Moving Gustavsson gives Wallstedt a clear path to the number one job while being on an ELC clears nearly $4 million, and would return assets they can use to build up their roster on the cheap.
That's not to say there's no risk involved for the Devils either. They would be putting a lot of their eggs in the basket of Gustavsson returning to elite form, which given the Devils recent run with goalies, is certainly not a given. Also, the Devils aren't exactly flush with cash either, and taking on that money takes them out of the running for any more upgrades in net. At the end of the day, Gustavsson has shown the flashes before and is the type of home run swing worth taking if you're Fitzgerald.
Karel Vejmelka - Arizona Coyotes
If there's one thing the league should learn is that acquiring a goalie from the Coyotes directly leads to the Stanley Cup. We've seen it in back-to-back years. In 2022 it was Darcy Kuemper and the Colorado Avalanche. In 2023 it was Adin Hill and the Vegas Golden Knights. Maybe 2025 it can be Vejmelka and the Devils.
Good vibes aside, Vejmelka would be an interesting route if Fitzgerald went with more of a 50/50 split in goal. He has put up very OKAY numbers on a poor Coyotes team over the past three seasons. In his 2022-23 season, he put up a pedestrian 3.43 GAA and a 0.900 SV% but had a very good 11.1 GSAx serving as the team's number one. In 2023-24, Vejmelka has been working as the number two goalie behind Connor Ingram, where in 33 games so far he's recorded a 3.24 GAA, a 0.902 SV%, and a 0.7 GSAx.
The reason why Arizona may decide to move off of Vejmalka is a couple actually. First, Ingram has taken the net as their number one for the foreseeable future as he continues to put up ridiculous numbers behind a porous defense. Second, he has a $2.75 million cap hit through next year, and while Arizona isn't in cap trouble, they may need to replace their entire defense core. And finally, Arizona has a stud goalie prospect by the name of Michael Hrabal who just finished up an incredible season with the University of Massachusetts and may be able to serve as the number two behind Ingram next year.
It would be hard to imagine Fitzgerald going this route, and the fanbase might riot outside of the Prudential Center if he did. However, there is a universe where teams like Calgary, Nashville, and Boston try and hold Fitzgerald over a barrel and ask for way too much. In that case, he may look at Allen's strong play as a reason to go with an even tandem in net, rather than a number one and number two split. It would be risky, but again, history has shown Coyotes goalies rise to the occasion once they leave the desert.
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