On cost-efficient goaltending and adding bite on the backend

Tom Fitzgerald has put together an excellent goaltending tandem at a very affordable price. Plus, the need for a physical defenseman has only grown after dealing Kevin Bahl.

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A few more thoughts on the Jacob Markstrom trade and the fallout to come:

Great bang for your buck

It’s not a stretch to suggest GM Tom Fitzgerald has assembled one of the better goaltending tandems in the league; at least in the short-term.

Jacob Markstrom finished 3rd in Goals Saved Above Expected last season despite a dip in his play down the stretch after the Flames moved on from Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin at the deadline.

Jake Allen also posted positive GSAE metrics with both Montreal and New Jersey. He didn’t play a ton with the Canadiens – he was part of a three-goalie committee – but the Devils rode him into the ground and he handled it admirably. He’s an awesome No. 2 option.

A handful of months ago the Devils were betting on Vitek Vanecek, who was struggling mightily and under contract for another year at a fairly lucrative number ($3.4M), and a couple of unproven NHL/AHL tween goaltenders. It cost them ~$4.3 for Vanecek and Akira Schmid, let’s say.

Fast forward and the Devils now have a top-10 starter and an experienced platoon-caliber goaltender behind him – and they’re spending only $6.05 million on the entire tandem.

Fitzgerald should sleep like a baby at night knowing he’s put together a great 1-2 punch and at a remarkably affordable price.

The Devils still have more than $16 million in cap space with Dawson Mercer the only unsigned player set to eat a healthy chunk out of it.

That means Fitzgerald will have wiggle room to add a couple of meaningful pieces to the roster. I expect he’ll do just that.

Sound the alarms