A few years ago, I wrote a piece about whether or not NHL teams that don’t have a franchise goaltender should reconsider traditional hockey thought processes and carry three goaltenders.
If I could summarize that article in a few sentences, most NHL teams carry two goaltenders. Teams that don’t have a reliable option in net should be trying to do whatever they need to do to find a reliable option rather than let poor goaltending sink their season. Teams in this position should probably be doing more
to maximize their 23-man roster, and there’s probably more value in trying to find a guy at that position than there is in your run of the mill 14th forward or extra defenseman. Rather than deferring to carrying two goaltenders because “it’s hard to manage more than that”, teams should be trying to find a solution to that position if they don’t already have one.
I’m not a statistician or mathematician. I haven’t crunched the numbers, nor do I have access to the sort of data that tells you what .910 goaltending is worth in the standings versus .890 goaltending. But would it surprise anyone if Sunny Mehta actually did have the data that shows that good goaltending is worth X more points in the standings than bad goaltending, and certainly worth more points in the standings than what a healthy scratch skater brings to the table?
Admittedly, I was surprised when I saw that the Devils put in a waiver claim for goaltender Remi Poirier. I figured that the Devils would go with what most teams traditionally go with in their opening night lineup by going with 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders. I had (mostly) dismissed the idea of adding yet another goaltender because of how the roster was already constructed and that I felt that some combination of Jake Allen, Nico Daws, and David Rittich was fine to enter the season with.
As it turns out, I was wrong.
As it turns out, of course Sunny Mehta would be the one general manager who bucks the traditional 200 Hockey Men train of thought by adding yet another goaltender to the mix when most teams only carry two.
Of course Sunny Mehta wouldn’t be complacent or satisfied with what he already has and is giving himself more options just in case Plan A (Allen), B (Daws), or C (Rittich, who cleared waivers and was assigned to Utica) don’t work out. Not when he has repeatedly said that his job as general manager trying to improve this team is never done.
I shouldn’t have been surprised then when I saw the Devils submit their Opening Night roster. A roster that indeed has 14 forwards but only six defensemen to go along with the crowded crease.
It remains to be seen if this will actually work, but I appreciate Mehta’s willingness to leave no stone unturned. I appreciate that he is trying to come up with creative solutions to solve problems before they even become problems. I appreciate the proactive approach he has taken since becoming Devils general manager, which is a stark contrast to the previous regime that was rarely proactive and often reactive when it came to addressing problems with the roster.
When it comes to my Devils fandom, I root for the laundry. I don’t really have a strong attachment to anybody the Devils have brought in at goaltender. I was reminded of this with Nealer’s stupid tweet the other night and realizing the list of Devils goaltenders post-Martin Brodeur more closely resembles failed Cleveland Browns QBs than that of a successful NHL franchise. I don’t really care if its Nico Daws or Remi Poirier or Jakub Malek or Mikhail Yegorov or anyone else the Devils have drafted that turns out to be the answer. I just want somebody….anybody….to be the answer in net. I don’t care how the sausage is made. I’m not picky, nor am I approaching this with any preconceived biases on what I think Daws or Poirier are or can be.
Jake Allen is the reliable veteran where you know what you’re going to get with him. I don’t know what I’m going to get from Nico Daws. Maybe he’s good. Maybe he stinks. But I do know that the Devils don’t have to waste half a season with him if he’s not playing well and giving up softies like he did in the preseason. They can try Remi Poirier and see if he’s better. If he is, great. If not and both he and Daws stink, you can try David Rittich or even Jakub Malek at that point. Or heck, maybe Mehta doesn’t sit around and wait until right before the trade deadline to do something….to do anything…..if none of the above options work out. Maybe he brings in somebody else. In fact, I think its probable that he would bring in somebody else, which is a refreshing thought when you remember we’re just a few years removed from hearing how difficult Tom Fitzgerald’s job was in an attempt to justify his inaction.
The truth of the matter is that the Devils aren’t heavily invested in ANY of these options. Mehta inherited Daws from the previous regime. Daws is not his guy no matter how much he talks him up. Rittich is a 34 year old journeyman veteran on a one-year deal. Poirier is a waiver claim that costs you nothing but the time investment you put into seeing if he can be part of the solution. And if none of these options work out? Mehta has the freedom and flexibility to move on from ALL of them and keep trying until he does find goaltenders who can play well.
That’s part of the brilliance of getting out of the Jacob Markstrom business when the Devils did. That’s also why I wouldn’t expect the Devils to inquire about Connor Hellebuyck anytime soon.
It’s one thing to have bad goaltending.
It’s another thing to have expensive goaltending that is also bad goaltending.
And for the Devils to take the step they’re taking with having three goaltenders on the roster, it’s yet another thing.
But can this approach work?
There are certainly benefits to trying it.
It’s important to keep in mind that Jake Allen just turned 36 a few months ago. He’s played more than 40 games in a season ONCE since 2018-19, when he was still with the St. Louis Blues. Even if Allen plays well and puts up a typical Jake Allen season where he has a save percentage in the low .900s and is saving anywhere from 5-7 goals above expected, it’s probably asking a bit much for him to play 45, 50, or even 55 games in a season at this stage of his career.
In a perfect world, Allen will make his allotment of starts (let’s say 40 just for argument’s sake). Ideally, he’s not coming in in relief when the other goaltender doesn’t have it. We’ve seen Sheldon Keefe be hesitant to make a goaltending switch in game when a goaltender doesn’t have it, and of Allen’s 68 games played as a Devil the last two seasons, 65 of those are starts. I don’t know if that’s strictly a philosophical thing when it comes to Keefe’s coaching style or an acknowledgement that with two older goaltenders on the roster, he’d rather not play both on the same night if he can avoid it. But things are different now with Allen being paired with two younger goaltenders.
With a third goaltender in the mix, a day off for Allen can be just that. A day off. A day where there’s no reason to go to him because the two younger options in Daws and Poirier should be able to manage getting through a game. Not only can that keep all of the goaltenders fresh, it can give Keefe the leeway to manage the game differently to where if a team does jump out to a quick 2-0 or 3-0 lead, he can consider going to the backup before a game gets out of hand. I wouldn’t say that the Devils were deliberately punting games in the past by refusing to pull their goaltender, but the Devils don’t necessarily have to punt a game where they fall behind by several goals moving forward.
Of course, this may wind up being a short lived experiment. Johnathan Kovacevic won’t be on IR forever and will need to be activated at some point. The Devils early season schedule has enough off days baked into it where they can probably get by with only six defensemen for a few weeks, but once the games start, things get more complicated once players get banged up and they have to manage which ones require an IR stint and which ones don’t.
On the other hand, anyone who has watched the Devils for any extended period of time knows all too well that there’s no such thing as having a fully healthy roster. Their depth will be tested in all areas. So it’s certainly possible the Devils could massage carrying three goaltenders for the duration of the season. Or at least until either Daws or Poirier play their way out of the NHL.
