On Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils announced the team re-signed veteran goaltender Scott Wedgewood to a two-way, one-year $825,000 contract. Given this is a two-way contract, as well as Wedgewood’s play at the NHL level, one has to assume this deal is strictly for AHL leadership and deep insurance at the NHL level.
Goaltender Depth Chart
As it stands, the New Jersey Devils have five goaltenders under contract and two more as current restricted free agents (RFA). Of the four five contract, three are rookies entering their first full professional North American season. Akira Schmid and Nico Daws both signed their entry-level contracts earlier this year. While Mareks Mitens re-signed with Utica just a couple days ago.
Additionally, as mentioned in our latest piece analyzing Devils’ RFAs, Gilles Senn has signed a contract with a NLA team overseas and the other RFA Evan Cormier seems even more unlikely to return with the news of the Wedgewood signing. So, it seems very likely Wedgewood was signed to be the veteran leader in the very, very young Utica (AHL) goalie room which still leaves one empty goalie slot. This being at the NHL-level who will back-up and/or compliment Mackenzie Blackwood.
So, who are external free agents that would fit this role well? Well, the Devils found a perfect one last offseason, but Corey Crawford ended up retiring every playing a minute in the red and black. Despite this, the Devils must go the free agent route to address the second NHL goalie role. Luckily for general manager Tom Fitzgerald, there are a plethora of solid options.
The Possible Targets
Tier 1
Chris Dreidger
Driedger had a very solids howing in a limited 2019-20 season, and showed it was no fluke this season. He was a huge reason why the Florida Panthers surprised everyone during the regular season. The 27-year old registered a .927 save percentage (sv%) across 23 starts and basically claimed the net from veteran Sergei Bobrovsky. His goals above replacement ranked 10th in the NHL among 91 NHL goalies this past season.
Given his stellar play this year, Dreidger may want to be paid as a borderline starter which is a reasonable ask. Despite the small sample size, he should be regarded as one of the better goalies on the market. Thus, putting himself in tier 1 of possible options for the Devils.
Linus Ullmark
Ullmark was one of the very few bright spots for an otherwise horrific Buffalo Sabres team last season. Despite the horrific play in front of him, Ullmark was very solid. To put it in context, the Sabres as a team ranked 24th in the NHL in Corsi against per 60 (CA/60) and 25th in expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60). Ullmark’s GAR ranked 21st in the NHL among 91 goalies and his sv% of .917 are both starter-worthy figures.
So, like Driedger he may rightfully command borderline starter-money. Also, worth noting, the Sabres tried to make it a priority to bring Ullmark back. But, he is still reportedly going to test the market. Another indication that his money commands may be on the higher-side. Regardless, he should be regarded as a tier 1 option for the Devils.
Petr Mrazek
Both of the Carolina Hurricanes’ trio of goaltenders are slated to be unrestricted free agents (UFA). With the surgence of rookie Alex Nedelijkovic, it is certain that at least one of the above two will walk. Luckily for the Devils, each would be a very solid option to fill the team’s need. Mrazek got out to a roaring start before being hampered with injury. In total, he started 12 games and registered a .923 sv% which is a terrific mark. His career figure of .911 is also a solid number.
At only 29-years old, he will likely command more per year, receive a longer term, and may even want a starter’s role. For all these reasons, not only should he be regarded as a Teir 1 option, but also more likely to leave Carolina than his counterpart James Reimer.
Tier 2
Antti Raanta
Raanta has been an extremely underrated netminder for a long time. The 32-year-old now has a career .919 sv% over eight NHL seasons. Last season, his number did dip but he still had a decent season that was better than most. His .905 sv% is a bit underwhelming, but his GAR of 7.1 still ranked 29th amoung 91 other goalies.
Coming off a $4,250,000 contract, in the unique COVID-19 environment coupled with a rather off year by his standards, maybe it is a perfect storm for the Devils to take advantage. Now, the Devils were going to pay Crawford $3,900,000 across two seasons. Would this be a solid comparable for Raanta? We shall see.
James Reimer
The second of the pending UFA Hurrican goalies is James Reimer. He had a bit of a down year, serving as the team’s primary netminder before Nedelijkovic took over and he was relegated to a backup role. Reimer’s GAR ranked 35th in the league while his .906 sv% is right around league average. In four of the last six years, he has registered a sv% of .910 or higher and he currently sits at a career .913. So, despite a bit of a down-year he has the track record of success.
Reimer is 33-years old and so a back-up role is much more likely. This would more likely make him a much cheaper option than his counterpart Mrazek, but more likely to return to Carolina. So, we will see what happens there.
Jaroslav Halak
The 36-year old had arguably the worst season of his career, which speaks to how solid he has been. This past season, he registered a .905 sv% in 17 starts as well as GAR that ranked 42nd of 91 NHL goalies. Which for anyone other than the aging Halak would have been an okay season. However, given his age you may start to question if the decline is here.
Halak will certainly be a backup if he deciededs to play next year. For that reason, his price tag should be on the lower-side. However, you do need to keep in mind teammate Tukka Rask is also a UFA, and if he walks maybe Halak will be retained. Nonetheless, given his track record, Halak would be worth the consideration as a one-year “hold-me-over” to fill New Jersey’s backup needs.
Tier 3
Jonathan Bernier
What a resurgence it was for Bernier in Detroit this past season. The 32-year old registered a sv% of .914 in 23 starts for the poorous Red Wings. The prior two seasons he put together seasons of .904 and .907. So, having the year he had last season was huge for keeping his career afloat.
The reason why Bernier is listed in Tier 3 is simple. Can he replicate what he did last season? Or if 2018 through 2020 what he is at this point in his career? Well, given he has been on a horrific team for three-years and his numbers outside of that have been solid, my money is on Bernier being a more than serviceable backup. Especially if brought to an even a slightly better team. Will New Jersey be the team that takes the moderate risk?
Laurent Brossoit
Brossoit has quietly served as Connor Hellebuyck’s backup for the past three seasons. In doing so, he has put up one below average season and two very solid ones. In 2018-19 and this past year he put up save percentages of .925 and .918, respectively. However, in 2019-2020 he regiastered a below average .895.
Now, it remains to be seen if Brossoit can be relied on for a larger role, but he seems to have the tools to be a decent backup behind someone other than Hellebuyck. He would be a decent value option for New Jersey if other plans were to go awry.
David Rittich
Rittich was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Toronto Maple Leafs and as a whole did not go well. After tallying a .904 sv% with Calgary, he registered a .888 in only three starts with Toronto. However, he is only 28-years old and has full seasons of decent success under his belt. In 2018-19, he started 42 games and registered a .911 sv%. The year following he played in 48 games and compiled a .907 sv%.
Rittich is arguably the riskiest option on this list, as he has struggled the past two seasons. However, he does have a couple seasons of success and he is only 28-years old. May not be the option, but someone worth monitoring.
Other Options
Of course, there are plenty of other options set to hit the market. Lifetime starters Tukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, and Frederik Andersen are all UFAs. Rask due to price tag and age does not make sense, Rinne has struggled in years past and is likely to retire shortly, and Andersen had a horrific year last season and is reportedly commanding starter-like money.
Vezina Trophy finalist Phillip Grubauer is also an UFA and will be way outside New Jersey’s price appetite. Middle-of-the-road guys such as Brian Elliot, Devan Dubnyk, Carter Hutton, and Mike Smith are also all set to hit the market, but have all struggled mightily recently and are on the wrong side of 30.
What Should The Devils Do?
The above are almost all of the external options that general manager Tom Fitzgerald has to fill an extremely pressing need. So, who should be at the top of that list?
Either Chris Driedger or Linus Ullmark would be terrific additions to the Devils. However, each is most likely going to command north of $5,000,000 as well as a number one role. Both something the Devils are not able or probably willing to offer. On the flip-side, Laurent Brossoit and David Rittich, although solid value options, may not be enough to fullfill the Devils’ needs.
So, that leaves the following, in order of my personal preference: Antti Raanta, Petr Mrazek/James Reimer, Jaroslav Halak, and Jonathan Bernier. Any of these five would be terrific additions to the Devils’ roster. And, as the team was hoping Corey Crawford would last year, give an extremely solid compliment or backup to current goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood.