Summarizing the Devils goaltending carousel

New Jersey made a huge move on Wednesday, trading for Jacob Markstrom.

The New Jersey Devils have believed they had their franchise goalie once, twice, three times or more over the past 10 years. But they haven’t.

Jonathan Bernier, Vitek Vanecek, Mackenzie Blackwood, Aaron Dell, Louis Domingue, Cory Schneider, Scott Clemmensen, Keith Kinkaid, Jon Gillies and Akira Schmid… Just to name a few goalies who have had their shot in the crease for the Devils over the years.

While they still don’t have their guy beyond the next couple of seasons, they have bolstered their crease significantly for the near future, trading Kevin Bahl and a protected 2025 first-round pick to the Calgary Flames for Jacob Markstrom on Wednesday and adding Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens at the deadline.

Markstrom has two years left on his deal, and with Calgary retaining about 30 percent of his salary, carries an estimated $4 million cap hit in New Jersey. The 34-year-old has shown his ability to play among the elite netminders in the NHL.

But he has also shown some inconsistency and the ability to be mediocre.

Since his best years in Vancouver, Markstrom has been up and down in Calgary. He was okay in his first year (.904), excellent in his second (.922), not good in his third (.892) and decent again in 2023-24 (.905).

But here’s the kicker. The Devils were so far up the creek without a paddle or even a boat with their goaltending situation. So even if Markstrom plays only to the level of his decent years, he is still a significant upgrade from what the Devils currently have.

"It is a great challenge for me to perform my best, and I think my best will come out of this,” he said in a press conference Wednesday.

Let’s look at how we got here.

First, there was Mackenzie Blackwood. His first two seasons in NJ were excellent, both with save percentages above .915. But after that, it went downhill.

Not only could Blackwood not stay healthy, but his numbers continued to nosedive into the sub-900s while he allowed more than three goals per game in each of his final three seasons.

Once the Devils saw some promise from Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, they knew it was time to let Blackwood go. They traded him to the San Jose Sharks in June 2023.

Then came the potential of Vanecek. The former Washington Capitals goalie was outstanding for the Devils in his first season (2022-23). In 48 starts, he went 33-11-4 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average. He joined Martin Brodeur as the only other Devils goalie to record 30 wins in a single season.

Not only were Devils fans surely thinking they had their goalie for the future, but they had hopes of a long and successful playoff run behind him. That didn’t happen.

Vanecek was quickly replaced by young Schmid and finished the postseason with a 1-3 record, a .825 save percentage and a hefty 4.64 goals-against average.

The next year, the Devils gave him a chance to prove that his previous season was not a fluke. And more importantly, that his playoff performance was. But he did the opposite.

Vanecek really struggled to start 2023-24, and after going 17-9-3 with a .890 save percentage, New Jersey dealt him to the San Jose Sharks at the deadline for Kaapo Kahkonen.

Finally, Akira Schmid. This one seemed the most disappointing for Devils fans.

Schmid was known to be a huge young prospect in the organization. And once he got his feet wet in the NHL, he lived up to the expectations.

Schmid played four games in 2021-22 but really began his career in 2022-23. The now 24-year-old played 18 games for the Devils in the regular season, going 14-9-5 with a .922 save percentage and 2.13 goals-against average.

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he got his shot with Vanecek struggling and nearly singlehandedly pulled the Devils out of a 2-0 hole in the first-round series against the New York Rangers.

Schmid recorded two shutouts and two games with save percentages of .972 and .957, as the Devils outlasted the Rangers in seven games.

But in the second round, Schmid was pulled in consecutive games against the Carolina Hurricanes and really only played well in Game 5 when they lost in overtime and were eliminated.

Schmid really struggled in 23 American Hockey League games with the Utica Comets in 2023-24 and never got his chance at the NHL level. His time is far from over in NJ, but the kid, along with 23-year-old Nico Daws, clearly needs a little more time to develop.

And that is where the duo of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen comes in.

NJ added Jake Allen at the deadline in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens. Allen is 33, has played 429 NHL games and holds a .907 career save percentage. He will allow Markstrom to rest, hopefully playing between 25 and 35 games.

That should keep Markstrom’s workload manageable (around 50 games) and keep him healthy for all of his time in NJ.

And exhale.

While the road to get here has been bumpy, to say the least. And the road up ahead is still pretty blurry… The Devils have a very capable veteran goaltender and a solid veteran backup going into next season.

And after disappointingly missing the playoffs last season, with the stacked roster they currently have, this may be the piece that brings them right back into the conversation of contenders for both the Metropolitan Division and the Stanley Cup.

“They’ve got something going there, looking at their roster… I know a bunch of players who’ve played there and absolutely loved it,” Markstrom said of the Devils. “Can’t wait to make it my home.”