Cost Acquisition for Devils Trade Target Goaltender is High

The New Jersey Devils have addressed one of their top priorities this offseason, finally naming a head coach. Next, they’ll look to address their next most important need, most likely via a Devils trade.

Goaltending.

General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was in hot pursuit of a Devils trade, exploring goaltending upgrade options for at least half of the 2023-24 campaign before ultimately landing on Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen, albeit, a little too late.

The Devils’ crease presence was a major factor in their considerable regression last season, and now the work begins to ensure reinforcements are made on New Jersey’s weak walls.

Allen will remain as he has one year left on his contract. However, he’s expected to be the backup goaltender while Fitzgerald pursues a frontline starter.

In fact, new head coach Sheldon Keefe even went as far as to explain that he’s already had conversations with Fitzgerald about improving the Devils’ goaltending.

“[Fitzgerald] communicated to me that improving in goal, the depth in goal is going to be very important,” Keefe said on an episode of The Jeff Marek Show. “The experience of a veteran like Jake Allen here is really good. You can see how proactive Tom was towards the trade deadline to make changes in goal.”

There’s a belief that Fitzgerald will re-engage in trade discussions with Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy for goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

However, much like how Fitzgerald conducted his coaching search, he’ll cast a wide net this summer exploring additional starting goaltending options.

As reported by Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, New Jersey was one of several teams who inquired about Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark with the hopes of bringing a Devils trade to fruition.

At one point, it sounds like Bruin GM Don Sweeney agreed to a trade with one of the inquiring teams, potentially the Devils, although it’s believed Ullmark nixed a trade to the Los Angeles Kings.

Now, the Ullmark rumor mill is churning again. Although Sweeney doesn’t publicly negotiate, he also recognized at exit meetings that the Bruins committed to Jeremy Swayman and management may have to field phone calls for the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner.

“We’re gonna find a landing spot with Swayman, and if we can make the math work, we’re going to have the best tandem,” Sweeney explained to Boston media. “If we can’t, we’re going to explore [options], and for Linus, he may come to us and change his mind, that may occur as well. Right now we’re very happy to have signed Linus, and in a perfect world, we would keep the tandem because I think it’s damn good. But we’re going to explore opportunities. My phone’s going to ring, I’m going to make calls. That’s just what the job requires.”

If Fitzgerald is going to re-engage Devils trade talks for Ullmark, they won’t be the only ones. According to Elliotte Friedman via 32 Thoughts the Podcast, New Jersey’s Division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes, also spoke about a potential Ullmark deal.

Carolina is going through major changes after Don Waddell stepped down as the Hurricanes’ GM. Further, there’s speculation that they could end up trading forward Martin Necas as part of what sounds like major surgery to the Hurricanes’ roster this summer.

Speaking of Necas, Bruins reporter Ty Anderson wonders if the Czech forward could be involved in a deal for Ullmark that would see an NHL return for both teams.

In addition to the Hurricanes, the Ottawa Senators are another team that will reportedly be in the mix for Ullmark. Similarly to the Canes, the Senators have an elite NHL-caliber player who has a foggy future in Jakob Chychrun.

In other words, the Bruins — if they deal Ullmark — will seemingly have options for a valuable return.

Anderson via X (formerly Twitter) explains that Sweeney will prioritize a first-round pick or a player of similar value, both of which Necas and Chychrun were drafted in.

If Fitzgerald is going to match the first-round caliber return, he can start with the 10th overall selection at the upcoming NHL Draft. Or, he can dangle a player like Alexander Holtz, drafted seventh overall in 2020, however, his value is going to be far lower than what Carolina or Ottawa can offer.

Ullmark’s cost acquisition is seemingly high. Fitzgerald does have several routes he can explore this offseason, however, likely with Markstrom as previously mentioned, and Juuse Saros whom we know the Devils inquired about during the 2023-24 season.

And those are just some of the names we know about. We’ll see how things shake out, potentially as soon as the NHL Draft.

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