The New Jersey Devils made a big move Tuesday, trading Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers. And now they have one NHL-caliber goaltender on the roster. That would be Jake Allen, who turns 36 next season.
Allen is fine as a backup. He posted a 2.72 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in 37 games last season. His cap hit is a tidy $1.8 million for four more years. But asking him to carry a team gunning for the playoffs? That’s a stretch.
So the obvious name floating around is Connor Hellebuyck. The Winnipeg Jets goalie is a Vezina winner. He’s been on the trade block for months. And the Devils have cap space and a need. It seems like a natural fit.
Except it’s not, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
“I don’t buy the New Jersey hype,” Friedman wrote Wednesday. “It’s not a contract that fits the profile of new GM Sunny Mehta.”
Friedman didn’t expand on exactly which part of Hellebuyck’s deal doesn’t work — it’s $8.5 million per year through 2031 — but the implication is clear. Mehta isn’t going that route.
The Devils have been busy. They added Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist in the Markstrom trade. They locked up captain Nico Hischier to a $58.5 million extension. But none of that fixes the hole in net.
Hellebuyck seems likely to get moved this summer. Friedman reports the Buffalo Sabres are the frontrunners right now. So New Jersey will have to look elsewhere.
Where that leaves the Devils is uncertain. The free agent market is thin. Trade options are limited. Mehta still has time before the 2026-27 season starts, but this isn’t a problem that solves itself.
Allen was solid last year. But he started 37 games. That’s not a starter’s workload for a team with playoff aspirations. New Jersey needs a real No. 1, and they need one soon.
It’ll be interesting to see who Mehta brings in. The Devils have assets. They have cap space. They just don’t have a plan that includes the best goalie on the market.
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