Which Goalie is Worth a Devils Trade for the 10th Overall Pick

The hot stove continues to burn, this time straight from the mouth of New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald. The Stanley Cup Finals will soon be underway and the NHL Draft is right around the corner. From the sound of it, Fitzgerald may be cooking up something in terms of a Devils trade.

Speculation about who the Devils may select in the draft has turned into speculation about a potential Devils trade for the 10th overall pick. Fitzgerald has come out recently about his willingness to move the 10th pick, sparking rumors.

Speaking with Mike Morreale of NHL.com, Fitzgerald said, “If we feel it helps us now and in the foreseeable future, then, yes, I’m listening. I haven’t gotten anything yet but the more I talk to teams, I say ‘Listen, I’m open to moving No. 10, but it’s going to have to be something (significant).” The Devils GM added, “I’m in the goalie market talking to teams, but there’s a ‘but’ and the ‘but’ is how do we want to build our team?” We’d like to add up front, we’d like to add on the back end, so what are those pieces going to cost us. With the goaltending, what’s that going to cost us?”

So what exactly could Fitzgerald be looking for via a Devils trade in exchange for such a high pick? As he stated, it would have to be the right player, at the right age, with the right term. With the Devils’ need for goaltending at the forefront, let’s take a look and see if any good options in goal fit that criteria.

Goalie Worth the 10th Pick

The biggest team need and the one position Fitzgerald seemingly can’t crack, the goalies, will continue to hover over the Devils like a black cloud until the problem is solved. They’ve been linked with Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom, Boston’s Linus Ullmark, and Nashville’s Juuse Saros for about the past year, but all three have major age and contract question marks.

Out of the three, Saros would be the likeliest, especially if he comes with an extension. However, he’s a smaller goalie with a lot of tread on his tires and will be 30 years old when a new deal kicks in. Not to mention he’s coming off of his worst season in the NHL. The 10th pick may be a bit too rich of a price to pay.

Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson has been subject to trade chatter, and while he’d be a good option, he likely isn’t worthy of the 10th pick either. However, if a player also included in trade talks, Marco Rossi, were to be included then there may be some interest. Fixing your goaltending and 3C problems in one trade may be enticing enough for Fitzgerald to pull the trigger.

Then there’s Vegas’s two goalies. With their cap crunch, one of Adin Hill or Logan Thompson could be moved this offseason. However, the 10th pick may also be too rich for non-elite goalies with pending expiring contracts. Not to mention Vegas is right in the middle of their Stanley Cup window and probably wouldn’t want to move either of them. It’s worth a call but probably won’t amount to much.

There is one goalie who, while unlikely, could feasibly be moved for a king’s ransom – Jeremy Swayman. The 25-year-old has been nothing short of elite since entering the league. He’s coming off an incredible playoff where he posted a 2.15 GAA, a 0.933 SV%, and 13.3 goals saved above expected. The one slimmer of reasoning as to why the Bruins would move him is his pending RFA status and how last summer’s negotiations went.

Swayman was notoriously vocal about how uncomfortable he was after going to arbitration last summer. If the two sides begin to head down that road again could Fitzgerald come in at the 11th hour with a blockbuster trade surrounding the 10th overall pick? The Bruins would get a massive haul back for Swayman, while still having the 2022-23 Vezina winner, Ullmark still in net. What the ask would be is anybody’s guess, but the 10th pick, Dawson Mercer, Seamus Casey, plus one or two more premium assets could be enough to get Boston to discuss.

On the Devils side, Fitzgerald would have no problem paying him a long-term extension to be the sure-fire, number-one goalie for a Stanley Cup-caliber team. The Devils have the money to give him a Connor Hellebuyck-type contract and still be okay financially. It would be a major long shot, but one that would be worth taking to fortify the position that’s given the organization fits for years.

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