Are the New Jersey Devils eying a Vegas Golden Knights goaltender?
Elliotte Friedman speculated they just might be!
Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess
Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey, and everything else, with me and fellow subscribers.
Upgrading in goal is one of the main priorities for the New Jersey Devils this summer.
They want to take a big step forward next season – making a real push for the playoffs, at the least – and they simply can’t do that without bringing in a quality netminder to pair with Mackenzie Blackwood.
All due respect, the Devils are well past the point of relying on the likes of Keith Kinkaid, Scott Wedgewood, and the guy from the corner store, to get the job done. It’s time for certainty; or the closest thing to it considering goaltending is voodoo.
GM Tom Fitzgerald thought he stabilized the position when he handed a lucrative contract to veteran netminder Corey Crawford. Unfortunately, Crawford elected to retire before playing a single game and put the Devils right back to square one.
So, here Fitzgerald is again, looking for an established goalie capable of taking the reins if and when necessary.
The good news is that, be it via free agency or the trade market, there are no shortage of enticing options available.
Among them: Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner. It’s possible, if not likely, Vegas trades one, and the Devils are reportedly interested.
The two goaltenders are very different and would mean different things for the Devils so I’m going to share my thoughts separately. We’ll start with the 2021 Vezina winner.
Marc-Andre Fleury
I’m not going to lie. I thought Fleury’s days as an above average netminder had reached their end.
As a 35-year-old, he posted a very pedestrian .905 save percentage in 2019-20 and, due to his struggles, the Golden Knights traded for Robin Lehner as an insurance policy.
He seemed to take that personally and responded in the best way possible; by taking care of business on the ice.
Fleury was nothing short of spectacular in 2020-21, winning 26 of 36 decisions and posting a remarkable .928 save percentage.
Only Connor Hellebuyck (+19.3) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (+18.2) saved more goals above expectation than Fleury did (+17.9), per MoneyPuck.
If we look at GSAE on a per start basis, nobody was better than Fleury. He saved exactly half a puck per game above expectation. Remarkable.
I don’t know that I’d bet on that level of success again in 2021-22, especially playing on the Devils, but it’s fair to say Fleury still has some gas left in the tank.
While he does carry a big $7 million cap hit, that’s hardly a problem. The Devils have an abundance of space and there’s only one year remaining on his deal.
Vegas isn’t going to hand over a Vezina winner for free. But I don’t think it’d cost the world for a 36-year-old making $7M; especially considering Vegas doesn’t need him to be a good team.
If the Devils still want Blackwood to be the guy long-term, getting short-term help while he continues to grow seems like the right path.
Robin Lehner
There’s a lot to unpack with Lehner.
We’ll start with his on-ice performance. It has been absolutely fantastic in recent years. Lehner saved 39.6 pucks above average from 2018-21, which ranked him 4th in the NHL; just ahead of Connor Hellebuyck. Seems good!
If raw numbers are more your thing, Lehner tied for 8th in 5v5 save percentage (.927) and ranked 2nd in total save percentage (.923) during that three-year period.
That’s over 101 games; it’s not as if we’re dealing with a minuscule sample here. Lehner was consistently excellent over a large body of work.
He’s more than capable of providing the Devils with the best goaltending they’ve had since peak Cory Schneider.
The problem with Lehner: he has four more years left on his deal at $5 million per. Don’t get me wrong; he is absolutely worth that money.
But if Fitzgerald wants Lehner to split starts, that’s a lot to pay. And if Blackwood realizes the potential many believe he has, and takes over as an undisputed starter, then you’re really paying a premium.
It’s also worth noting Fleury turns 37 early next season. Even if he re-signs in Vegas for another couple of years, it’s not a given he can handle himself as a starter.
The Golden Knights aren’t going to give a quality starter with term (Lehner) away, only to leave themselves vulnerable moving forward.
So, it’s going to cost a fair bit and, again, ideally you don’t want Lehner to be more than a split starter in the coming years.
Parting Thoughts
I like Fleury. I really like Lehner. And yet I’m not sure a trade with Vegas is something the Devils should pursue.
They can’t acquire either of those guys prior to expansion without also giving Seattle assets to leave the guy they acquire alone. That’s not ideal.
Fleury might only be a one-year solution, which could mean Fitz needs to address the position again next summer.
As for Lehner…you have to trade real assets and, if things work out with Blackwood, you’re committing $5 million per – for several years – to a guy you want to split games; or potentially even backup.
While it could definitely be argued both guys are better than any free agent solution, going that path might make more sense.
Signing Jonathan Bernier or Chris Driedger for two or three years would give the Devils a quality, and affordable, 1-2 tandem while giving up zero assets in the process.
If Blackwood takes the reins as an undisputed starter, you don’t mind spending, say, $2.5 million to have Bernier there behind him. And if Blackwood falters, you can still be fairly confident you’ll still get competent goaltending to keep you in games.
That’s just my opinion. We’ll find out in due time if Fitzgerald feels the same way.
The second Infernal Access merch drop is live! If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out the collection by clicking this link. Use promo code LUCKY at checkout for 10% off your order.
numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com, MoneyPuck.com, Evolving-Hockey.com, PuckPedia.com, and CapFriendly.com
I gather that Crawford's retirement was injury (concussion?)-related. Did the Devils have to pay him?
I like Fleury and think he'd be relatively cheap to acquire. Vegas needs cap-space and has a clear 1a in Lehner. Also, depending on where the Devils stand come TDL, they can retain and flip him (I know we're all sick of being sellers but he'd be walking in the summer anyway).
I love Lehner but the length of the deal makes it not worth it for the team. Vegas sees him as the long term guy and would expect a package in return that reflects that.
As for realistic FAs: Reimer, Mrazek, Ullmark, Bernier interest me. Throw any one of them 4.5mx3 and I think they'd come here. Something about Dreidger worries me. Kind of get Scott Darling vibes from him, even though Dreidger has put up better numbers.