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3 supposedly unreasonable offseason moves that actually make sense for the New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils offseason should be based on correcting all of what went wrong this past season so they can enjoy a bounce back year.

By Todd Matthews

Apr 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New Jersey Devils goalie Kaapo Kahkonen (31) defends the net against the Philadelphia Flyers in the third period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New Jersey Devils goalie Kaapo Kahkonen (31) defends the net against the Philadelphia Flyers in the third period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
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Re-signing Kaapo Kahkonen to an extension

While making a big trade would be the ideal situation, it also shouldn’t be the only avenue. Okay, so while re-signing Kaapo Kahkonen to an extension wouldn’t be an option for a contingent of fans, doing so also shouldn’t give us a ticket to criticize Tom Fitzgerald. 

No, the trade wasn’t much more than a goaltender swap, but Kahkonen was an upgrade over the ailing Vitek Vanecek. And although his sample size was smaller, Kahkonen also rarely looked overwhelmed in the crease, and he ended the season with a shutout, plus a 0.500 quality starts percentage. 

The latter was also true for Jake Allen and Nico Daws, but Kahkonen ended with a better save percentage (0.923) and GAA (2.51), rounding out a solid and intriguing portion of the season in Newark. Say what you will about statistics, but Kahkonen had a demoralized team playing in front of him in New Jersey. Even if the Devils were better than the Sharks, he still played better than expected. 

Best yet, Kahkonen is heading into his age-28 season, meaning he has more to give than Jake Allen, who will begin his age-34 season. Common sense states that, with another year on Jake Allen’s deal, they will keep the latter around, but it shouldn’t be too much of a deal-breaker to keep them both in Newark. 

This doesn’t mean an endorsement to keep both goaltenders around, as landing a star via trade and signing them to a long-term deal is the best and preferred scenario. But if it doesn’t happen and Kahkonen sticks around alongside Allen for another year, it’s not a bad consolation. 

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