Exploring under the radar goalie options

If the Devils wish to add a goaltender, and don't go big game hunting, there are a few targets worth considering. JP Gambatese takes a closer look in his latest.

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey with our writers and the wonderful InfernalAccess community.

---

By JP Gambatese (@JP_Gambatese)

It’s no secret the New Jersey Devils are on the prowl for a new goaltender.

With news that New Jersey’s front office would prefer Akira Schmid to spend next year in the AHL, which Todd covered on Tuesday, a goalie acquisition seems imminent.

Big names like Connor Hellebuyck, Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman, and even John Gibson have been swirling around in rumors, but factors like cap hit, trade cost, and contract length could provide reason not to make those moves. 

With that said, there are some under-the-radar goaltenders either on the trade block – or still available in free agency – that the Devils could consider if one of the big-name goalies is not an option:

Dan Vladar

Jacob Markstrom, for some reason, allegedly wants to stay put in Calgary. With Dustin Wolf knocking on the door of the NHL, Dan Vladar is left as the odd man out.

He has two years left at a somewhat reasonable $2.2 million AAV and could be a cheap trade option for New Jersey. 

I’ll be the first one to admit that his resume is pretty unimpressive. He’s played exactly 50 games in the past two years for the flames, and neither was great. By basic stats, he floats around a .900 save percentage and has a career GAA of 2.89. 

Digging deeper, though, gives a better picture of what one might expect from Vladar. Where the more team-centric stats in SV% and GAA depict a goalie who didn’t face a lot of shots, and succeeded most of the time in saving them, GSAx and GSAA… and again, neither provide anything to write home about. 

Vladar has been consistently in the negative throughout his career for both metrics, albeit not by much on a per-game basis.

Over 50 games in Calgary, Vladar accrued a total GSAx of -9.14 and a GSAA of -9.06. That may sound daunting, but that translates to a -.1828 GSAx/60 and a -0.1812 GSAA/60, both of which are pretty reasonable numbers.

With a team in front of him that can compensate for a slightly poor performance from a goaltender, this should be no cause for concern. 

Acquisition cost for Vladar should be incredibly low, too. After all, he more or less has to be moved. Consider that the Flames and Devils just made a trade, too, so it’s entirely possible that Vladar was already discussed between the two teams.

Jaroslav Halak