Picking up where we left off yesterday with centers, we move today to a different position that the New Jersey Devils might be shopping for in free agency: goaltending. Who’s available that might be of interest to the team?
The New Jersey Devils will be looking to fill a few holes in their lineup this offseason, and while help with scoring and depth will be the primary concern, there are other areas that GM Tom Fitzgerald cannot forget about either. One of those is goaltending, as the team’s backup, Jake Allen, is currently set to be an unrestricted free agent. If he decides to take his talents elsewhere, the Devils might want to bring another player in to compete with Nico Daws for the backup role behind Jacob Markstrom. Today, we look at a couple of options in depth, a few at a glance, and a few retreads who probably won’t be worth looking into bringing back.
A Quick Note
Before we begin, I just want to quickly touch on the fact that Jared made mention yesterday of the options the Devils have to improve their centers. The goaltending situation is both somewhat similar and somewhat different. The similarity is that there are a number of unrestricted free agent goaltenders available, which is good. The difference and drawback here is that there’s not really a whole lot of quality available. As such, be prepared for my verdict on most names to be “no thanks” or worse.
James Reimer
Reimer is one of the names that merits a little bit of a closer look, mainly due to how his stats were skewed by a couple of games. He began 2024-25 in Anaheim, where he made two appearances. One saw him post decent stats in a loss to Vegas, and then his next saw him get shelled by, ironically enough, the Devils, leading to an overall save percentage of just .864. He would be placed on waivers where the Buffalo Sabres would claim him, and he would get himself on a better track.
He would appear in 22 games for Buffalo, starting 19 of them and posting a 10-8-2 record with a .901 save percentage. For a team that faced the struggles that the Sabres did at times last season, that’s honestly not bad at all. His overall season save percentage is a bit less encouraging (.897) but hey, if Reimer does sign in New Jersey, at least he wouldn’t have to face the Devils and have them put up a touchdown on him again next season!
AFP Analytics Prediction: 1 Year, $1.14 Million
Why He Could Work: Reimer is a veteran who probably wouldn’t be relied upon for more than the 24 or so games that he appeared in last season. He’s at the point in his career where he knows he’s not an every night guy and he still was above .900 in Buffalo knowing that he was only going to start every so often. As long as the injury bug stays away from the Devils’ goaltending, Reimer in a role similar to last year could produce roughly the same results.
Why He Probably Won’t Work: Father time remains undefeated in sports and at 37 going on 38, Reimer’s best days of hockey are behind him. Additionally, I’m not sold on him (or any name in this article honestly) being an upgrade on what the Devils already have in their system. If the team is going to start a sub-.900 guy, why not at least let it be a youngster who can grow over a veteran who is heading towards the end of heir career? Reimer might want to look for a team where his backup role is more of a sure thing.
Dan Vladar
Vladar is the youngest player featured in this article, as he will be turning 28 this summer prior to the start of 2024-25. He’s not a prospect with years of growth ahead of him still, but that’s what you get in looking at UFAs. Vladar has had moments and spurts where he’s looked strong in net, which is what’s piqued my interest with him. At the same time, he’s been horribly inconsistent and has only posted a save percentage above .900 once out of four seasons.
I’m sure at this point some of you are wondering why I’m going even somewhat in depth regarding Vladar if he’s that inconsistent. THAT is how weak of a UFA goalie class we are talking about here this summer, where Reimer and Vladar are two options where if we signed them, I would basically react like Bob Belcher from Bob’s Burgers at the end of this clip. The rest of them would elicit a worse reaction from disgust to demanding the firing of Fitz before the ink dries on the contract.
Anyway in regards to Vladar, he’s another guy who can give you roughly 20-30 games of goaltending which is what the Devils are looking for. He also has roughyl double the experience as Nico Daws, so if the Devils want to go with a young-ish guy with some more games under his belt, maybe they take a look at Vladar.
AFP Analytics Prediction: 1 Year, $1.46 Million
Why He Could Work: Vladar has spent the majority of his NHL time sans five game with Calgary. Maybe he needs a change of scenery and a different system in front of him. He’s not a complete adventure in net like some of the other names on this list would be, and also isn’t projected to cost the amount re-signing Jake Allen would. For a little bit more money than Reimer, the Devils could get a younger vet in net, which might be a more desirable route.
Why He Probably Won’t Work: While younger than most options, Vladar has appeared in over 100 NHL games, so this could be another guy who is what he is at this point. As a team trying to compete, the Devils may not want to go with an inconsistent option as their backup. For evidence as to how that went in the past, be sure to take a look at the “Retreads That We Should Probably Avoid” section below.
Quick Thoughts on Some Other UFA Goalies
Alex Georgiev: Talk about falling off of a cliff. After posting a great season for the Colorado Avalanche in 2022-23, Georgiev followed it up with two sub-.900 seasons, including this past one where he was so bad for Colorado, that they packed him up and sent him to San Jose. His .874 in Colorado and .875 in San Jose were nearly identical, so the 29 year old may struggle to find work. AFPAnalytics still sees him getting a one year deal for just under two million, but with how bad he was, I both disagree and don’t want to see the Devils even think about offering him a deal.
Alex Lyon: After posting some good numbers in limited minutes with Florida in 2022-23, Lyon got a bigger share of work once he signed with Detroit. His 44 games and .904 in 2023-24 were not grown upon in 2024-25, where he became another member of the Sub-.900 Club with a .896 in 30 contests. At 32, he is what he is as a player at this point, and while he might play better behind the Devils than he did the Red Wings, I don’t think it’s worth gambling on. He’s also projected to get a two year deal at $1.8 million per, so yeah another reason to steer clear.
Ville Husso: Another once promising player who has seen the shine wear off. Husso at least had the benefit of turning in four strong performances with the Ducks, so there may be some reclamation potential here. On a one year deal at league minimum, you could do worse. At the same time, you could go out and spend actual backup goalie money and probably do a whole lot better too.
Retreads That We Should Probably Avoid
Kaapo Kahkonen: Played one NHL game for Colorado last season and let in four goals on 20 shots. No thanks.
Louis Domingue: Another basically AHL level player at this point; has appeared in five, count ‘em five NHL games since the end of 2020. Pass.
Vitek Vanecek: The only one here who is arguably still an NHL player. Played 25 games across time with San Jose and Florida, winning just five and posting a .884 while doing so. I’d avoid him just based on his history of collapse with us in the past; the stats just do a nice job backing up the desire to keep him far away from New Jersey.
Other Guys With NHL Experience
Pheonix Copley, Matt Murray, and Spencer Martin are other names that are known to some extent who made NHL appearances this past season. None of them, however, have statistics that make them worth a look beyond maybe an AHL deal if you’re desperate for depth.
Final Thoughts and Your Take
Tom, Mr. Fitzgerald sir, if you are somehow out there reading this, please do us all a favor and throw a decent contract in Jake Allen’s direction before free agency opens. I know I’ve been critical of him this past season, but after looking at just how slim the picking are in the free agent pool, and how bad some of these guys were as backups for other teams, I didn’t realize how good we actually had it.
If the team still wants an upgrade, they’ll have to figure that out through either their prospect pool, an offer sheet or a trade, because Jake Allen is head and shoulders above the other unrestricted free agents available. Find a way to bring Jake back for now and punt the future of the crease decision to at least next summer.
What are your thoughts on the options for goalies in unrestricted free agency; would you want Vladar or Reimer brought in? Is there a different name on this list or not on this list that you like? Are you in the same boat as I am and thoroughly nonplussed with the choices available? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!