3. Nico Daws
Hope for the best, expect the worst. When it comes to Devils goaltending just expect the worst. It's become not even a Devils thing, but an NHL thing where teams need AT LEAST three goalies a season. It's more like four, maybe five, but at the bare minimum, a team needs at least three.
The Devils currently have Jake Allen as the projected starter going into next season, but chances are near 100% that Fitzgerald will add a true number-one goalie. If that's the case then Allen and that goalie will be the two sharing the crease to start the year. Like we said though, they'll need at least three.
It likely comes down to Nico Daws and Akira Schmid for who will take that role. The main reason why Schmid may not be that guy is because of his reported frustration with not getting an extension. If he's not in the Devils plans to play regularly in the NHL, then the team may opt to move him, rather than have a disgruntled Schmid in the AHL.
That's not slight on Daws either. He was fantastic in stretches with the Devils this season. He ended up posting a 3.15 GAA and 0.894 SV% in 21 games but showed flashes of brilliance. Had the Devils found another competent goalie and not run Daws into the ground, his numbers would have been much better than they are.
Daws was also returning from major hip surgery over the summer and hadn't gotten any game action until late in 2023. With a year removed from surgery and a solid stint in the NHL last season, Daws should be the unquestioned number three goalie heading into net.