What should the New Jersey Devils do with their LTIR money?

David Mudrak takes a closer look at how Tom Fitzgerald could put his hefty stimulus package to use on the trade market.

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By David Mudrak (@MuddyOpinions)

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a competitive team in possession of cap space, must be in trade talks. At least, that is what is likely the case for the Devils. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic noted, Dougie Hamilton, the team’s $9 million defenseman, will likely be out until the playoffs.

If Hamilton misses the rest of the regular season, the $9 million in LTIR money will become much more usable as the team does not need to be cap compliant in the playoffs. So, the question becomes, how can the team best use this stimulus package to make this a meaningful season but not mortgage their future? 

Part of the LTIR loophole is that the Devils are now a cap team, spending to the limit each year in their quest for the cup, and can’t easily take on contracts that will exist after this season.

It would be easiest for the team to focus on upcoming unrestricted free agents, who can be used as rentals for the season, with the gymnastics of possibly keeping them being pushed off until the off-season. 

The biggest area of need, especially after the miserable game against Edmonton on Thursday, is the goalie. It feels like the concern about goaltending varies after every game, with fans demanding an immediate trade if the showing is poor, or fans (including me at one point) begging for patience after an average or good goaltending performance. 

Both fans and the team need to stop kidding themselves. Vitek Vanecek is not the goalie who will lift a cup for this team, and any bump in his play over a few games can no longer be trusted.

I noted that the goalies seemed to be turning a corner at the start of December, but that no longer matters when three goals go into your net within a minute and nine seconds. A change needs to be made.