One of the most disappointing aspects of this year’s New Jersey Devils team has been goaltending. While the tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier entered with considerably high expectations, injuries derailed any hopes for success. Nobody could have seen Bernier being lost to season-ending surgery. Blackwood’s play was horribly inconsistent, and it was later disclosed he may have been playing through a still unresolved injury from the offseason.

This season may not be over yet, but it’s clear that once the calendar flips into the offseason the front office is going to have to address the problems in net. Sure, Bernier is signed for more season, but will he be able to come back? How will Blackwood respond from this injury? Even if Blackwood comes back healthy, is he really the long-term answer in net?

Some think the Devils’ answer for next year might not be Blackwood and Bernier. Maybe one of the AHL’s dynamic duo of Nico Daws or Akira Schmid will make the big show? Maybe there’s an answer in the draft or trade. What if that answer was right across the Hudson River?

Enter Alexander Georgiev

The New York Rangers have themselves a quality backup in Alexandar Georgiev. At one point he was seen as the heir apparent to Henrik Lundqvist. Then the meteoric rise of Igor Shesterkin happened and it became clear Georgiev was the second best goaltender in a Rangers’ uniform.

Georgiev still can be a starter in the NHL. Shesterkin’s rise has made him expendable. Georgiev has been in the middle of trade rumors for the past few seasons, but so far nothing has materialized. The Rangers don’t need to trade Georigev, but since they don’t need him and he has value they might as well. It’s safe to say he’s not a definitive part of the Rangers’ future plans.

Contract Intangibles

Georgiev is signed past this year with a manageable cap hit of $2,425,000. At the end of his current two-year bridge deal, Georgiev will still be a restricted free agent. For comparison, Blackwood also has one more year on his deal, but with a slightly larger $2.8 million cap hit. Blackwood will also be a restricted free agent.

What A Trade Could Look Like

The Rangers know Georgiev is a valuable piece and that there are plenty of teams in need of goaltending now (here’s looking at you, Edmonton Oilers). Gerogiev was undrafted, so it’s not as simple as saying, “this is what the rangers spent on him, so this is what they’ll want back,” in terms of trade value. Also, look at the last major goalie trade in the NHL, when Alex Nedeljkovic was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Detroit Red Wings. The price Detroit paid, Bernier and a third round pick, was unreasonably low. Nedeljkovic was also without a contract while any potential Georgiev deal still has one more year.

Adding in all the factors, plus the fact Georgiev remains under team control, the Rangers may want at least a first-round pick. Considering the Devils are still in rebuild mode a first-round pick is a tough price to pay. What if there was another way to make this trade a bit cheaper?

Enter Vitali Kravtsov, And Say Goodbye To Blackwood

This is just thinking out loud and shouldn’t be taken seriously. The Rangers have a disgruntled blue chip prospect in Vitali Kravtsov, a former first round pick. Kravtsov, like Georgiev, could have been traded a while ago but is still with the team. Unlike Georgiev, it’s fair to assume that Kravtsov’s value has declined since he was chosen ninth overall back in the 2018 NHL DrFt.

Now let’s assume the Rangers want a guaranteed return for Georgiev and Kravtsov, while taking Kravtsov off their hands before he heads to the KHL again or spends another year in the AHL. Getting rid of Georgiev also leads the Rangers to have an opening for a backup goaltender. With Blackwood’s services no longer needed, he could be sent to the Rangers to be the number two behind Shesterkin. Then again, considering Blackwood has a higher cap hit than Georgiev, the Rangers might want to go to the cheaper alternative of former Devil Keith Kinkaid.

If the Rangers can package two players they don’t need for a guaranteed return, the Devils might get a deal. For example, instead of just sending over a first-round pick (plus potentially more) for Georgiev, A first plus a mid-round pick, plus possibly a “B-level” prospect of Blackwood could get Georgiev and Kravtsov.

Why It Won’t Happen

If that trade scenario got you excited, it shouldn’t. This trade is likely to never happen. The Rangers and the Devils may be main rivals, but for the front office for both teams any trade talks are business as usual. Don’t expect either team to turn down a good deal because it’s their rivals then again, history isn’t necessarily on the side of that theory. The only trade the two teams ever made was for Michael Grabner back during the 2017-2018 season.

The Rangers likely won’t want to trade with the Devils, but not because of the rivalry, but because they’re in the same conference and division. That trade would be too close for comfort and have the potential to backfire. The fact Nedeljkovic was traded for so last season might have something to do with the fact he was traded out of the Metropolitan Division, but he stayed in the Eastern Conference.

Another potential factor stopping this trade would be the fact that in doing so the Devils are completely waiving the white flag on Mackenzie Blackwood. It’s not a good look for the front office. When general manager Tom Fitzgerald originally took over, Blackwood was one of the three player he said he wouldn’t trade. His recent comments may not stop any speculation the Devils would move on from Blackwood, but it didn’t make it sound like that’s what they’ve decided either.