The New Jersey Devils are in a pickle in net. It might be the biggest issue that new general manager Sunny Mehta must address. Jacob Markstrom had moments where he was absolutely terrible. Other times, he was above average. However, the former came up much more often than the latter.
According to Natural Stat Trick, Markstrom finished the season with a -13.73 goals saved above average. Connor Hellebuyck, who might be available this offseason, was around even. Last season, he had a 41 goals saved above average. That’s the difference between missing the playoffs and being the Presidents' Trophy winner.Â
Even if Hellebuyck played exactly how he played this season, that would change the Devils’ goal differential from -24 to -11. That’s not enough to get the Devils in the playoffs, but it’s about more than that. There were so many games where the Devils played well in the first period, but they still would be down because Markstrom allowed a goal that shouldn’t have been allowed.Â
The dejection was always hard to turn around, and it’s why the Devils had those long losing streaks in January and February. With Hellebuyck in net, we don’t think the bleeding continues nearly as long.
Now, we’re starting to see what it might take to get Hellebuyck in black and red, and it isn’t cheap. Our partners at Jets White Out, part of the Fansided network, wrote about trade packages they would consider in a Hellebuyck trade. The one focused on the Devils was… hefty.Â
The sticker shock on this one is real, but trading for former MVPs is rarely cheap. The Devils are giving up Anton Silayev, a defensive prospect who is big as an ox and skates like the wind. He has true unicorn potential, but he also has risk involved with his selection. Mikhail Yegorov looked like the best goalie prospect in the world when he joined Boston University, immediately won the Beanpot and took them to the National Championship Game. Last season, he wasn't nearly as good, but neither were the Terriers. We're not worried about him.
The 2027 first-round pick makes sense, as Sunny Mehta might want to keep their 2026 first-round pick to make a selection, or they could trade him for an upgrade at forward.
It's a hefty price, but are we saying no? The hardest part is the Yegorov piece. Hellebuyck is 33 years old, and he had himself a down year. Are we going to put all the eggs into that basket when he still has a level of unknown to him?
This also doesn't address the Jacob Markstrom contract. We don't see this deal happening without Markstrom going somewhere. Maybe that's a third team getting involved, which could make this work. That also makes the
We don't see Mehta making this big of a move right off the bat. It's a hefty price to pay for a goalie who may be on the back nine of his career.
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