This is part one of a three-part series covering the different goaltending options for the New Jersey Devils for the 2023-24 season.
The New Jersey Devils have had an eventful offseason. They got a majority of their work done before the start of free agency. They re-signed Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier to eight-year extensions, acquired Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames, and addressed defensive depth by trading for Colin Miller.
Young players like Alexander Holtz and Luke Hughes are ready to fill the void left by a few notable departures. Their depth is solid, and they have the high-end talent to be considered Stanley Cup contenders. However, the Devils have consistently been placed in the rumour mill regarding the goalie position. NHL insiders Elliote Friedman and Frank Seravalli have often mentioned the Devils’ interest in acquiring a new netminder.
The question is now if Fitzgerald should make one more big splash this offseason or continue the course with his internal options.
Devils Internal Options
The Devils did add to their goalie room on July 1st. Although, it wasn’t the big splash the insiders thought it would be. They signed 26-year-old Swede Erik Kallgren to a one-year deal. The Devils needed an AHL starting goalie with Nico Daws out long-term. Kallgren has spent the past two seasons bouncing between the NHL and AHL with Toronto. As things stand he is likely to handle a heavy workload in the AHL for the Utica Comets.
Vitek Vanecek
The Devils currently have Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid in the NHL ranks. After coming over last offseason in a trade from the Washington Capitals, Vanecek had a solid first season as a Devils. He put up career highs across the board. In 52 games he had a 2.45 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. Vanecek was also the first goalie since the great Martin Brodeur to win 30 games in a season.
Vitek Vanecek shootout winning save 😧 #NJDevils https://t.co/RbSkMXXZIZ
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) January 16, 2023
He hit a few lows throughout the regular season, but this could partially be from becoming the heavy workload of being “the guy” for the first time. Where some soured on him was in the playoffs. In both rounds, he got shelled in every game. He let in four and five goals twice in the four games he started. It became borderline unwatchable for Vanecek in the postseason as every shot he faced looked like a battle. That being said, there is a 52-game regular season sample size suggesting that he is a solid middle-of-the-pack starting goalie.
Akira Schmid
The Devils’ other option is 23-year-old Akira Schmid. After a few horrible starts in 2021-22, Schmid broke out in a big way this past year. After being called up following another Mackenzie Blackwood injury, Schmid ended up playing in 18 regular season games. There were inconsistencies that you would expect from a young goalie, but on a few occasions, he stood on his head. Many Devils fans remember his remarkable season debut in a relief role against the Ottawa Senators back in November.
It was on a national scale in the playoffs where Schmid made a name for himself. His heroics against the New York Rangers in the first round is what propelled them to Round 2. But similar to his regular season, there were a few bumps; including Game 6 against the Rangers and Games 1 and 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Nevertheless, Schmid showed enough promise to earn himself significant playing time in the NHL next season.
Akira Schmid could NOT be hotter right now. 🥵
The @NJDevils rookie goalie has now won his first three postseason starts including a 23-save shutout in tonight's Game 5 victory. 🧱 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/BtfYWWsSIN
— NHL (@NHL) April 28, 2023
The big question surrounding the goaltending, and Schmid in particular, is if they should keep him as the backup, or send him to Utica to carry a starter’s workload. Schmid is waiver exempt, meaning the Devils do not have to worry about another team claiming him should they send him down to Utica.
Despite a small sample size, he has shown great potential, and in a full season would probably put up solid numbers. For Fitzgerald, his first option is to keep Schmid up in the NHL as a backup, but only play in 25 to 30 games. His other option is to let him marinate more as a starter in Utica getting closer to 50 games. After re-signing their core players, this is Fitzgerald’s next franchise-altering decision.
Main Photo: © Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
