New Jersey Devils: Possible Weakness(es)

Now, let’s see, what could possibly be New Jersey’s Achilles’ heel? I will cover that aspect, which is fairly well-known. But to make the column a smidge more exciting and a little off the beaten path, I will focus on another possible area that might be of concern down the road.

The Capitals completely remade their goaltending room last offseason, dealing Vitek Vanecek to the Devils and not qualifying Ilya Samsonov. Washington’s loss was New Jersey’s gain as Vanecek finished the regular season with a 33-11-4 record, 2.45 goals-against average (GAA), and .911 save percentage through 52 outings. The goals-against and save percentage were not elite but Vanecek stabilized the net for the Devils with MacKenzie Blackwood, now in San Jose, still struggling.

When the lights got brighter for the postseason, Vanecek saw his performance crater. He was bombed the first two games versus the Rangers and landed on the bench, replaced by Akita Schmid, who propelled New Jersey to a series win. Given a second chance against Carolina during that series, Vanecek won Game 3 despite allowing four goals but was chased in Game 4 and sat for Game 5. He posted a 4.64 GAA and an .825 save percentage in seven playoff contests with his GAA 25th among 28 goalies in the postseason.

Schmid showed little in his six appearances in 2021-22 to perpetuate the view he might be the team’s goalie of the future. All that changed last season, as he went 9-5-2 with a 2.13 GAA and .919 save percentage. Schmid followed that up by saving the team’s bacon versus the Rangers before turning back into a pumpkin to a certain extent in the series loss to the Hurricanes. He struggled in Games 1-2 but was solid in relief in Game 4 and in the Game 5 loss.

New Jersey may very well see whether Vanecek or Schmid could be the man between the pipes. But where there is smoke, there’s fire. The rumors and whispers of the Devils potentially exploring the goalie market centered on Connor Hellebuyck can’t all be just pure speculation. In addition, many feel the team is that one piece away from truly contending for a Stanley Cup. Helly will be a free agent after the season and is playing for a Jets team that in all likelihood, will be on the outside looking in on the playoffs. Plus, as seen by the Pierrre-Luc Dubois deal, Winnipeg is a team in transition building for the future. The Devils have lots of young assets they could deal to acquire that puzzle piece to push them to the next level.