Devils Division Rival Seeking Goaltending Upgrade in NHL Trade?

There’s little doubt that before the beginning of the 2024-25 regular season, many wrote off the Carolina Hurricanes as regression candidates. However, the New Jersey Devils’ division rival sits near the top of the Metropolitan Division in a four horse race for first place. With recent injuries in net, one insider suggests they could be seeking a goaltender in an NHL trade to compensate for the void.

The Hurricanes lost a lot of personnel this summer. Teuvo Teravainen headed to Chicago, the Devils poached Stefan Noesen and Brett Pesce, Jake Guentzel signed in Tampa Bay, and Brady Skjei followed Steven Stamkos and Johnathan Marchessault to Nashville.

There are not many teams in the NHL who can sustain that kind of loss. However, they’re also the only team coached by Rod Brind’Amour.

Thus, Martin Necas is having a career year and the Hurricanes’ top players in Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov are contributing.

Further, Frederik Andersen has been lights out. However, the Danish netminder’s struggle is health, and he’s once again on the shelf. As Andersen and the Hurricanes debate surgery, the belief is he’ll be out long-term. After sophomore Pyotr Kochetkov—who has been decent to start the 2o24-25 season—the goaltending drops off in quality for a team with contending aspirations.

Therefore, general manager Erik Tulsky appears to be turning to the trade market.

RECENT: Fire Sale? Devils Trade Targets to Poach From Penguins

According to insider Pierre LeBrun, Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson is among the names the Hurricanes have discussed as a potential NHL trade option.

Gibson—who was once a Devils trade target—is on the books for $6.4 million through this season and the following two. Whereas before that sounds like a lot of money, with the inflation rate with recent new goaltending contracts, Gibson suddenly looks like a good buy.

And with the Ducks reportedly willing to eat some of his salary, it could look even better.

The former three-time All-Star, Jennings, and Art Ross winner is off to a strong start. In three games since returning from injury, Gibson’s posted a 3-0-0 record, .906 SV%, 2.67 GAA tending twine for the Ducks.

However, the recent breakout of Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal has given Anaheim the flexibility to accelerate their rebuild and acquire valuable assets in an NHL trade for the 31-year-old goaltender.

Of course, whatever the Hurricanes decide to do is out of the Devils’ control. But, this is certainly a notable situation to keep an eye on moving forward. The Devils hold the same amount of points in hand as the Hurricanes, but after Wednesday night, Carolina will hold three games in hand on New Jersey—who they will face at the Prudential Center on Friday.

As the Devils continue their uphill battle with the Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers for the top of the Metropolitan Division, it could be Carolina who strikes first on the NHL trade market to ensure they stay in and near the top of the race.

For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.

Follow us on 𝕏:

@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL, @NickNatale10

And on Threads:

@JamesNicholsNHL