New Jersey Devils: 3 Goalies On Trade Market To Target Right Now
The New Jersey Devils should consider adding a goaltender as soon as they can. Who on the trade market makes the most sense?
The New Jersey Devils were beaten at home again on Thursday night. They played the Calgary Flames tough, but at the end of the night, the difference in the game was goaltending. They tried to make a couple of comebacks, but it was to no avail.
Vitek Vanecek was just a big problem for the Devils in the game. Frankly, he was not good at all. He allowed pucks to squeak through him even though he thought he saved them. There were some shots that he was able to see but just missed, and a few spin shots fooled him that wouldn’t fool most NHL goalies.
He was very good last season, so the team understandably gave him some leeway. Somehow, he still has a respectable record of 17-9-2, which shows how hard the team plays in front of him despite his .887 save percentage.
The Devils are a good team that scores tons of goals. Their goaltender just deflates their efforts sometimes, and it is eating away at their season. It is time to make a change. They need to make a trade as soon as possible. Some really good goaltenders may be on the trade block. These are the three that they should consider:
Jacob Markstrom is a great goaltender for the Devils to consider
One of the goalies that they should consider just defeated them on Thursday. Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames allowed three goals to New Jersey, but he made 37 saves. They created some incredible scoring chances on him but were not able to score enough to carry Vitek’s bad play.
New Jersey would have been smart not to even let him leave town. He would be a great addition to their team going down the stretch. Following that game, Markstrom is now sitting with a 2.56 goals against and a .914 save percentage.
Somehow, with those numbers, he is only 16-13-2. That shows how average Calgary is in front of him. He has the opposite problem of the Devils. That is why they’d make a great fit together.
Markstrom is not the long-term answer as he is 34 years old but it isn't a short-term answer either. He is more than a rental; he has two years following this season. It is certainly an option to consider.
John Gibson is someone that the New Jersey Devils may want
The New Jersey Devils are a top team looking for league-average goaltending. Elite goaltending would be nice, but it is much harder to come by. They are skilled, fast, and strong enough to win with average goaltending. We know that because they have done a fair amount of winning with straight-up bad goaltending.
We don't know if John Gibson is good anymore, but he is average at worst. On a very bad Anaheim Ducks team, he is sitting with a 3.05 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. That's obviously not a save percentage anyone should go home about.
If he came to this New Jersey Devils team that is much better than his Anaheim Ducks squad, he'd be much more likely to succeed (hopefully). We've seen him be Vezina caliber in the past. It is something worth trying at this point. Both sides could benefit greatly.
Like Markstrom, he isn't just a rental, either. He has three more seasons left after this one. At 30 years old and the spot the Devils are in with their roster, it could work. The only issue is with this contract and the assets the Ducks will ask for, it HAS to work.
The New Jersey Devils could check in on a very available Elvis Merzlikins
Elvis Merzlikins may not even want to be a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets anymore. He is a decent NHL goaltender, but things haven't gone well in Columbus during his tenure there.
Right now, on that horrific team, he is 9-10-7. Honestly, it could be much worse. On an individual level, he has a 3.22 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. He is about a league-average goalie with the potential to be even better on a good team.
Coming to the Devils could do wonders for his career. He is 29 years old (turns 30 in April) but it feels like he is just getting started. We've seen elite numbers when the Jackets were a good team in front of him (he was the 5th-place Vezina Trophy finisher in 2019-20).
Just like John Gibson, who has very similar numbers at about the same age, has three years left on his deal after this season. It is an investment worth considering based on how the New Jersey Devils have played this season. If any of these goalies came to their team right now, they'd be getting an automatic upgrade going forward. That could be the difference in this team making a deep playoff run and missing the playoffs entirely.
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