5 blockbuster goalie trades that give New Jersey Devils context for their own deal
The New Jersey Devils are facing a dilemma this offseason. While they don't want to overspend to fill a need, they also don't want to end up without a goalie again. So, they should look at history to find the right price to spend for a star at the position.
The New Jersey Devils need a goalie. This is not news. It’s honestly one of the most prevalent topics we’ve ever seen since Ilya Kovalchuk retired. This is a constant talking point for more than 12 months. It’s also one of those talking points that led to nothing but came to fruition at the same time. The Devils were pushing for a star goalie last offseason and all of last season, but the trigger was never pulled. Whether that was because the price to acquire a superstar was too high, or the said superstar got blocked, the Devils were left with bad goaltending that sunk the season.
Now, the Devils need to make a move. Many are expecting the Devils to make the first goalie move of the offseason. Everyone is using them as a basis point, not only in their private trade talks but likely through sources in the media. Once the Devils make a move, other teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes will use that deal as a trend setter.
The hard part for the Devils is since they are likely first, there is no precedence for the market. Every team is looking for the best possible deal, and that means they are starting from a position of perceived power. They want the moon from the Devils. However, the Devils can use some historic goalie trades to set their own market.
Trade 1
We’ll start with probably the most popular goalie in the league right now. The Florida Panthers didn’t get Sergei Bobrovsky through a trade. They paid a handsome price in free agency ($10 million per season). However, the trade between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers is now legendary. It was a massive underpayment in hindsight, but the Flyers were selling on Bob when he wasn’t a guarantee.
When looking at how the Devils could equate this deal to one happening now, it wouldn’t be for one of the stars. This would be for someone like the Minnesota Wild’s Filip Gustavsson. He’s a player who’s shown some flashes, but he was very inconsistent last season. There’s some upside there, but how much?
Bobrovsky quickly became one of the best goalies in the league when he was traded to Columbus. In his first year, he won the Vezina Trophy. Gustavsson could probably fetch a collection of draft picks. If the Devils are willing to go for someone with upside and much younger than the other options, this is on the table.
Trade 2
This one is hard to peg on this market, but we wanted to add this to the ledger because of it’s impact. Marc-Andre Fleury was coming off the first Vezina Trophy of his career. He played very well, obviously. However, the Vegas Golden Knights felt like they had to go with the younger goalie in Robin Lehner. So, they gave Lehner a long-term deal, and they had to get Fleury’s $7 million cap hit off the books.
So, the Knights traded Fleury for a middling prospect in Mikael Hakkarainen. Hakkarainen was a 138th pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He didn’t seem to have much of a shot to make the league, and that came to fruition. He’s now out of hockey entirely.
The reason this is up here is to show how much taking on an entire contract hurts the trade value. Fleury was, again, the Vezina Trophy winner. He went to Chicago to give them an outside shot of competing. In the middle of that season, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild. We didn’t add that trade since values are much different around the trade deadline.
Is there a player who equates this trade to the market right now? It’s a little different, but John Gibson might be looking at a return like this. Who’s trading for Gibson as if he’s a star player? A team will take him off the Ducks' hands, but the contract risk is too much to give even anything of a return.
Trade 3
This is an interesting trade to look back upon. This trade was supposed to fix the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie situation for good. They traded for a 26 year old who had three very good seasons under his belt already. But this trade also shows just how little goalies are worth. This was a player who had three seasons and none of them were under a .914 save percentage.
The Devils hope to get a player with the profile of Andersen on the trade market this season. Everyone else has incredible flaws, which Andersen didn’t seem to have. Still, the Ducks were able to get a first and second-round pick for Andersen.
Now, the picks were not big risks at all. The Ducks got the 30th-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, which they used to take Sam Steel. They also got a 2017 second-round pick (which based on conditions was almost guaranteed to be in the middle of the round). This was a huge deal at the time.
Is there a player of this caliber that’s available right now? This feels like the type of deal that would get Linus Ullmark to the Devils. He had a slightly better career before the impending trade, but he’s a little older and needs a contract. If the Devils had a late-first-round pick, this deal might be done already. We’ll see how the Devils can make the values work.
Trade 4
The Colorado Avalanche in 2021 were where the New Jersey Devils hoped they’d be right now. A season from hell changed the dynamic, but we don’t think it changed the expectations. The Devils know they need to get a player who can win them a Stanley Cup. They built a team that doesn’t need a super duper star in goal, but that will be much more valuable than a first-round pick if they get to where they need to get to.
Darcy Kuemper was by far the best goalie available on the offseason market in 2021. When Colorado made the deal, it just made sense. They sent a very good package to the Coyotes, at least one on paper. Timmins was an offensive defenseman with upside. While he hadn’t figured it out at the NHL level yet, it’s hard to make headway with a team as good as the Avs.
The Avalanche also added a future first-round pick, which had conditions on it if it ended up in the top 10. That ended up being the 32nd-overall pick, as the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup on the back of Kuemper. Because of that win, the conditions were met on that final pick, which is this season’s third-round pick.
This feels like the type of return that would garner the Devils Juuse Saros. Would Barry Trotz be intrigued by a package that includes Kevin Bahl, the 2025 first-round pick, and a conditional third? It might get the deal done.
Trade 5
This is one of the biggest moments in recent New Jersey Devils history, and we would be remiss if we didn't mention it in a list of huge goalie trades. Cory Schneider came to the Devils for a deal that included the ninth-overall pick in the NHL Draft in 2013. This obviously should be addressed, because the Devils currently hold the 10th-overal pick (basically the same value) in this year's draft. So, who could they get for that?
We know how the trade turned out. Schneider looked like he was at a Vezina level for about three seasons. Martin Brodeur played for another franchise. Schneider’s peak did not coincide with a good Devils team, and he fell off a cliff due to hip injuries. At the end, most would consider the trade a bust, but it was at no fault of Schneider who gave the Devils his all.
To find the right pick for this, we have to get creative. This would be Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. This really does feel like the same trade. Both the Canucks of that time and this Sabres team were trying to make another goalie their number one (Roberto Luongo and Devon Levi). UPL could be a legitimate number one, as he showed all last season.
Now, as you noticed, nothing could compare to a Jacob Markstrom trade. That’s because the situation is unique. Markstrom has a no-move clause, and moving that comes at a price. That means Markstrom won’t get the Flames the same return as someone like Saros or Ullmark.
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