The New Jersey Devils claimed Dallas Stars prospect Remi Poirier off waivers on Sunday in a confusing move to many. While the writing was on the wall for former New York Islanders goalie David Rittich, who was placed on waivers on Sunday, it seemed like the Devils were going to go into the season with the traditional two-goalie set.
Now, it’s anyone’s guess what the Devils are doing because they have added another goalie to the mix.
NJ claims Remi Poirier from Dallas
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 27, 2026
It appears on the surface the Devils are committed to their original three-goalie rotation plan. And now, instead of the veteran Rittich, they’ve added another young goalie to the rotation.
That makes things very interesting. Poirier and Nico Daws probably have similar aspirations. Both want to be starting NHL goalies in the future. Both will likely want to be starters right now. Rittich probably had a different expectation of his role here.
So what does this mean? Was Sunny Mehta and Sheldon Keefe just not impressed with Rittich in training camp? Are they worried about what they have seen from Daws in the preseason? Neither played particularly well, and Jake Allen was the best of the trio by far.
Everything Keefe and Mehta have said so far has shown immense belief in Daws, but it doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan. What is the worst that can happen? If the Devils end up needing the extra roster spot, they can put Poirier back on waivers and put themselves back in the position they have already were in before with Rittich as the third option (if he clears waivers).
What does this move mean for Nico Daws specifically?
When it comes to Daws, that’s the most interesting part of this. The Devils have put their present in his hands. With Jakub Malek and Mikhail Yegorov still in the system, the Devils seem set at goalie for the future. If Daws doesn’t work out, they can figure it out. Allen should be able to keep them afloat this season, and the future is on its way.
But Poirier gives them another option, and he might be the most intriguing. Poirier was legitimately good for the Texas Stars, Dallas’s AHL affiliate. He’s gotten better every season, and he looked legitimately great in camp.
In two preseason games, he allowed one 5v5 goal on 26 shots against. He stopped all high-danger shots against him, and he was able to jump in at the last minute for Jake Oettinger for their last preseason game, and he pitched a shutout.
The Devils haven’t hated what Daws did, but he did allow too many soft goals to start the preseason. The coaching staff has said that Daws is putting a lot of pressure on himself to get this done, but when will that pressure end?
This only puts more pressure on him. When he was the only young option for the Devils today, those small mistakes that lead to goals would be dealt with on the ice. Now, there’s a legitimate option to replace him.
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