As hockey fans can tell, with the impending Stanley Cup Finals the only games left on the docket, news elsewhere is relatively dry. That won’t be for long, as the offseason is getting nearer and nearer everyday. One step close to chaos.

In the meantime, we thought it would be useful to run a mailbag. Thank you to those that participated across Twitter and Facebook. The questions were modified from their original form but kept to the same point:

Should John Gibson Be A Potential Devils’ Target? (Mike W. on Twitter)

Gibson was recently involved in rumors as allegedly wants out of Anaheim. However, that rumor was reportedly quickly refuted by his agent. Nonetheless, examining if Gibson would be worth a look is still interesting.

Gibson was easily the best goaltender in the league from 2016 through 2019. Over this period, he registered the following goals above expected (GSAx): 24.38, 32.86, and 26.9. That stretch of three seasons were truly elite. So, in return, Anaheim signed Gibson to an eight-year, $51,200,000 contract.

Well, since 2019 Gibson has posted the following GSAx seasons: -9.92, -3.94, and -4.44. In those seasons, his save percentages decreased from .924, .926, and .917 from 2016-19 to .904, .903, and .904 the past three seasons. To put it nicely, he has struggled mightily. To make matters worse, he is under contract with an annual cap hit of $6,400,000 for the next five seasons.

Now, there’s a real chance Gibson is able to figure it out. Usually a player of his caliber does not fall off a cliff as steep as the 28-year-old has. Trading for Gibson would surely bring risk, given his previous three seasons. However, when his price is likely at an all-time low, can it be a buy-low spot for some teams? Possibly, however, there is huge risk in acquiring that contract of his and it remains to be seen if Anaheim would really part with him.

Should Ville Husso Be an Option for The Devils in Free Agency? (Cody J. on Facebook)

Husso is arguably the most intriguing free agent goaltender available. The 27-year-old only has two NHL seasons under his belt. They each went much differently.

His first NHL season was 2020-21 where Husso appeared in 17 games and struggled mightily. He posted a save percentage of .893 and a GSAx of -6.41. He bounced back in a big way this past season, basically winning the St. Louis starting goaltender job over Jordan Binnington. Husso posted a .919 save percentage and a starling 14.11 GSAx.

For comparisons sake, Husso’s GSAx number ranked seventh-best in the league (among 100-plus qualifiers). Devils’ goaltenders Nico Daws, Jon Gillies, and Mackenzie Blackwood posted figures of -10.14, -14.36, and -14.62, respectively.

Like many of the possible goaltending options, Husso would be a very risky bet. He has one very poor season and one very strong season in his extremely short NHL career. Where does the young Finnish goaltender project going forward? With such a small sample size, it’s very hard to project. That’s what makes him so risky.

Currently, the Athletic forsees Husso signing a four-year, $5,000,000 per season deal. This largely suppressed most likely due to his lackluster postseason where he posted a GSAx that ranked 22nd of 23 goaltenders that appeared in a playoff game. Another possible cause for concern.

To answer your question, Husso is certainly an option and probably one of the better New Jersey has among an overall lackluster market. However, it will certainly provide risk, largely derived from the lack of sample size.

Overall, What are Some Realistic Options in Net for New Jersey Next Season? (Jeremy S. on Facebook)

Sensing a theme with these questions? Yes, goaltender should be at the top of general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s to do list this offseason. For good reason. Unfortunately, the market as a whole for goaltenders appears pretty limited.

As far as free agent options go, the below splits the pending unrestricted free agent goalies into three categories: worthwhile targets, possible targets with large questions marks, and a “stay far away” category:

Worthwhile Targets:

• Darcy Kuemper: starter – best goaltender on the market. 32 years old.
• Ville Husso: “1A/1B,” – see above. 27 years old.
• Jaroslav Halak: “1A/1B,” – about average this season, is declining each year. 37 years old.
• Eric Comrie: backup.
• Casey DeSmith: backup.

Possible Targets with Huge Question Marks:

• Marc-Andre Fleury: starter – most likely too old to consider New Jersey. 37 years old.
• Jack Campbell: starter – strong beginning to season but fell off a cliff. 30 years old.
• Braden Holtby: starter – bounced back to begin season but ended trending down. Overall poor numbers past several years, rebounded with a GSAx around 0.00 this season. 32 years old.

Stay Away:

• Craig Anderson
• Aaron Dell
• Colin Delia
• Jon Gillies
• Thomas Greiss
• Andrew Hammond
• Martin Jones
• Kevin Lankinen
• David Rittich
• Dustin Tokarski
• Scott Wedgewood

New Jersey can also go the trade route. The market there is also not very plush. And of course, would take giving up assets.

Trade Options:

• John Gibson: five-years left at $6,400,00 with Anaheim.
• Semyon Varlamov: one year left at $5,000,000 with the New York Islanders.
• James Reimer: one year left at $2,250,000 with San Jose.
• Alexandar Georgiev: restricted free agent with the New York Rangers.
• Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek: restricted free agents with Washington.

What’s the Move?

Of course, it appears the Devils will give Mackenzie Blackwood another season, unless he is traded. Blackwood has struggled mightily recently, posting seasons of -12.62 and -14.62 GSAx the past two years. Interestingly enough, Blackwood has yet to post a season with a GSAx higher than 0.00.

So, once again, if Blackwood stays, New Jersey will need to supplement him with a second option. Jonathan Bernier is a huge question mark as he rehabs a major injury. With that being said, New Jersey should bring in one of the options listed above. Among them, the following should be at the top of their list:

• Semyon Varlamov
• James Reimer
• Darcy Kuemper
• Ville Husso
• Jack Campbell
• Braden Holtby

Who Should the Devils Take Second Overall? (Bill B. on Facebook)

Luckily, after the Devils moved up during the NHL Draft Lottery, their options for who they should draft were minimized for the better. With that being said, there are three options that New Jersey should truly be considering:

• Shane Wright: the consensus number one overall choice. He registered 94 points in only 63 games with the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL this past season. Wright is by far the safest pick as he plays a terrific 200-foot game. A true, two-way center.

• Logan Cooley: the American-born center is arguably the best offensive player in the draft. He is a dynamic play-driver that will certainly excel at the next level. For a full profile check out our very own right here.

• Juraj Slafkovský: the most intriguing of the possible options is a six-foot-four, 218 pound winger. The 17-year-old bursted on the scene with a dominant Olympics (eight points in 10 games played, tournament MVP) and a strong showing at the World Championships (nine points in eight games played).

With the Canadiens preceding the Devils, it is likely Wright will be taken out of the equation. If Montreal goes elsewhere with the pick, the Devils should certainly steal Shane Wright.

If the board goes as expected, the choice will be between Cooley or Slafkovský. If the Devils wish to go the safe route and snag a dynamic playmaker, Cooley is the pick. If they want to go for size and the potentially elite goal-scorer, Slafkovský would be the guy.

Other dark horse options include Simon Nemec (RHD), David Jiricek (RHD), or Cutter Gauthier (C/LW). Selecting any of these individuals at two, despite them all being solid prospects, would be a reach.

Should the Devils Pursue Ondrej Palat? Three-Year Deal? (Justin T. on Facebook)

As a possible three-time Stanley Cup champion, Palat has been a staple of the Tampa Bay Lightning dynasty for a while now. The 31-year-old is set to hit the open market for the first time. He is coming off a year where he totaled 49 points in 77 games. He has plateaued in the 40-point range the past three seasons. Albeit, two of the last three were shortened.

As the above shows, Palat is a terrific two-way winger. He does everything well, five-on-five, power play, even penalty kill when he has been asked. Just an all-around superb, two-way, top-six winger. Coincidentally enough, this is something the New Jersey Devils should be on the prowl for this offseason.

As mentioned, the Czech-native is already 31 years old. So, if the Devils negotiate a contract with Palat, they should be wary. Dom Luszczyszyn of the Athletic projects Palat to have two more strong seasons as the top-six, two-way wing he has shown to be throughout his career. Evolving Hockey is projecting Palat to receive a three-year contract worth $5,6000,000 annually. At this price, Palat would certainly be worth it for the Devils.

However, as we know, the open market in the NHL gets a little wonky sometimes. Especially with some of the lackluster general managers the league has. It is likely someone overpays for Palat, especially with term. Anything over three years is pushing it. Will a team go as far as five? There has certainly been crazier things done.

Bottom line, at the right price, say a three-year deal worth $5,500,000 annual, Palat would certainly look good in a Devils’ uniform. If not, there are certainly other options out there.