NJHN Mailbag: Devils Trade Upgrades; Keefe Player Comparison; Championship Goalies?

LONG ISLAND — The 2024-25 season has been filled with its ups and it’s downs, but it’s been more positive than not for the New Jersey Devils. Still, there are some concerns, and y’all had questions.

Well, I’ve got answers [as best as I can].

Let’s not waste any time and have some fun, and thank you for your submissions.

This is a great, fun question.

And the answer is undoubtedly Paul Cotter.

The Devils’ head coach played a very similar game as Cotter. A somewhat undersized forward who played bigger than he is. Keefe, much like Cotter, wasn’t afraid to go into the dirty areas and grind in a puck battle.

In the offensive zone he always headed right for the top of the crease to create chaos and in the other two zones, he was a pesky forechecker.

Certainly, Keefe and Cotter share similar qualities. With the reality that Cotter has more skill to his advantage.

Do you think Simon Nemec is the first call-up if one of the [defensemen] were to get injured? Do you think there’s a better option and Keefe keeps him down in the AHL to develop more? We’ve seen a lot of rookie defensemen the past year. — @Marninsports

The only reason for the Devils to recall Simon Nemec at this point is for injury replacement.

RELATED: Sheldon Keefe Sends Blunt Message to Devils Demoted Defenseman

That being said, he’s likely the first call-up with Seamus Casey being a close second.

Both Nemec and Casey are the closest NHL ready blue liners in the pipeline and are each waiver exempt. It makes sense for one of those two to be the reinforcement when necessary.

Another great question.

When you look at this team, it’s hard to complain. The goaltending is solidified, the blue line is deep, and they’re scoring an NHL eighth best 3.63 goals per game.

Still, the Devils don’t really have a game breaking sniper right now.

They hoped it would be Alexander Holtz. He’s gone. They traded away Tyler Toffoli. And now, they’re without a natural sniper who can change the game on a dime.

The Devils are just fine in the goal scoring department, but every once in a while a team finds themselves in a rut and a natural sniper can just completely change things with one flick of the wrist.

If he were to become available down the line, I wonder about Frank Vatrano who is working on an expiring deal, or perhaps Brock Nelson depending on what the New York Islanders decide on with his future.

Do you get the sense from Keefe that he’s going to continue to switch up the lines throughout the season? It was a pressure point among Leafs fans when he was their coach. — @PDavis_LLC

As of right now, I don’t get the sense he’s going to change too much unless he’s forced to. Through the early stages of the season, the Devils were still trying to figure out who they were and what worked best. Therefore, you saw some changes.

However, now the Devils are starting to find their groove and things should stay more consistent.

In the same breath, Keefe made a note of–and has done a pretty good job–keeping duos together in order to keep as much chemistry as possible, even with some tweaks.

That’s why you’ve seen combos like Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer, and Erik Haula and Stefan Noesen stick together throughout the entire year.

Among forwards, it’s really just the third guy who I foresee moving if necessary, in the case that there is an injury or a shakeup needed.

On the blueline, nothing has changed in the seven games Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce have been back, and Keefe’s been pretty vocal about keeping everyone together–at least for now.

Allen’s numbers are actually better in the postseason, earning a .924 SV% and 2.06 GAA, all with the St. Louis Blues. He might not have been the starter for St. Louis when they won the Stanley Cup, however, the experience as Jordan Binnington’s backup alone is enough experience for Allen to know what it takes.

You might look at Markstrom’s start to the 2024-25 season and still question his abilities. Yet, slow starts aren’t unusual for Markstrom who is averaging a decent .902 SV% and 2.67 GAA through 12 games. Yet, his history shows he tends to start this way with the 2021-22 season being the outlier, and tends to bounce back.

As for Allen, you could certainly argue he’s been the stronger of the two in a smaller sample.

Regardless, I remain of the opinion the Devils have two goaltenders who give them a chance to win on any given night, and their postseason metrics suggest they get better when the stakes are higher.

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