Devils should add defensive help rather than look for new goalie midseason
So Jordan Binnington in 2018-19, Andrew Hammond in 2014-15, Dwayne Roloson in 2005-06, and am I missing anybody?
Am I missing a goaltender who joined an NHL team in midseason, either via trade or promotion from within the system, and made a difference?
The occasions are so rare they have become exceptions to the rule of general managing. The occasions are so rare that history is surely an obstacle to, say, New Jerseys Tom Fitzgerald, as he attempts to patch the leak that has been haunting his team throughout the season.
The Devils are caught dealing with heightened expectations after a leapfrog 2022-23 in which they arrived early. They are not getting enough saves to merit confidence. They are not playing nearly good enough defense or showing defensive awareness to give their self-doubting goaltenders meaningful support. Its a vicious cycle, and there is likely not a Binnington, Hammond or Roloson to come to the rescue.
So perhaps Fitzgeralds primary mission should be to shore up the defense that was weakened first by offseason free-agent defections of Ryan Graves and Damon Severson, and recently by the potential year-ending torn left pectoral muscle sustained by Dougie Hamilton at the end of November, rather than seeking that white whale in nets.
Perhaps that represents the surest way to attack the problem and elevate the clubs save percentage, which was tied for last in the league with Carolina at .878. The Hurricanes have already waived Antti Raanta and said no thanks to Jaro Halak.
3Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) (not shown) scores a goal on New Jersey Devils goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) during the third period at Prudential Center. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConYounguns Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec have crazy upside to their games that is likely to be realized sooner rather than later, but the time is not quite now. It hasnt helped that John Marino has taken a step back after his boffo season a year ago. Kevin Bahl is hardly a finished product.
And though Brendan Smith might be the most willing teammate in the league, New Jersey is better off with No. 2 as a depth piece, as he was a year ago. Entering Saturdays match against the Red Wings, the Smith-Luke Hughes pair had been on for two goals for and nine against with an xGF of 41.64 percentage.
Binnington came up to the Blues for good the first week of January 2019 when St. Louis was last overall in the league and went 24-5-1 with a 1.89 GAA and .927 save percentage to not only lead his team all the way back to a playoff spot, but to the franchises one and only Stanley Cup since joining the league in the 1967 expansion.
Hammond was summoned by Ottawa in the middle of February 2015 with the Senators buried in the conference. The 27-year-old turned himself into a folk hero, The Hamburglar, by going 20-1-2 with a .1.79 GAA and .941 save percentage in leading his team to an improbable playoff spot. Hammond won 11 games the remainder of his NHL career.
3Jordan Binnington #50 of the St. Louis Blues makes a save against Matt Boldy #12 of the Minnesota Wild. NHLI via Getty ImagesRoloson was acquired by the Oilers from the Wild at the 2005-06 deadline for a first and a third and though his numbers were only decent the rest of the way, the then-36-year-old led the team to the Cup Final before going down with an injury in Game 1 of the series.
Again. Those are the exceptions. More relevant, perhaps, is the history of Ryan Miller being unable to carry the Blues past the Blackhawks in the first round of the 2014 playoffs after St. Louis acquired the winningest U.S.-born goaltender in NHL history from Buffalo at the deadline.
Now, the Blues were equally complicit in their six-game demise, but this represents the NHL cautionary tale against trading for a marquee goaltender in midseason. It doesnt happen.
There are, though, defensemen out there for the Devils, even if we are only perusing the rental market. And Fitzgerald may not be limited by salary-cap concerns, for if Hamilton is out for the season, the Devils would be able to replace the defensemans $9 million hit without having to worry about subtracting any for No. 7s hypothetical return for the playoffs.
The NHLs holiday roster freeze that goes from Dec. 19-27 is an anachronism. It was from the day when GMs actually made meaningful trades outside of the three-week period leading to the deadline. Now, cap constraints 17 teams are in LTI and timidity are roadblocks to player transactions. It doesnt mean that Fitzgerald will be able to find a partner just because he wants to dance.
But if Calgary is going to get down to it, 26-year-old Noah Hanifin, second on the team with 23:14 of ice time per game, seems like a perfect target. The Flames Chris Tanev would be on New Jerseys list.
Would the Metro summer chalk the Devils and Carolina, the former out of the playoffs, the latter hanging in by the teeniest of margins attempt to help each other, and would there be any way for New Jersey to get either pending UFAs Brett Pesce or Brady Skjei? I wonder if Nashvilles Tyson Barrie has any appeal when the issue is defensive awareness.
3Quinn Hughes #43 of the Vancouver Canucks skates with Tyson Barrie #22 of the Nashville Predators defending at Bridgestone Arena. Getty ImagesIt takes two to deal. Instead of attempting to pick a goalie out of his hat to ease the teams burden, perhaps Fitzgerald should get a defenseman to ease the burden of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid.
Holiday Snapshot.
Most Pleasant Surprises: 1. Vancouver; 2. Philadelphia; 3. Winnipeg; 4. Rangers; 5. Washington; 6. Nashville.
Biggest Disappointments: 1. Buffalo; 2. Carolina; 3. Minnesota; 4. Devils; 5. Seattle; 6. Ottawa.
This Just In: Connor McDavid has been traded to the Dodgers.
How many decks are used in poker?
In most popular poker variants, such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha, a standard deck of 52 playing cards is used. Each deck contains four suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades) and consists of 13 ranks (Ace, 2 through 10, and the face cards: Jack, Queen, and King).
What is the bonus code for WPT Global Poker 2023?
The best bonus code for WPT Global is WPT777. By entering the bonus code, players will get a welcome bonus 100% up to $1,200 on the first deposit. The minimum deposit is $20.
What is the best WPT Global bonus code?
Use the WPT Global bonus code WPT777 when registering to get a 100% deposit bonus up to $1200 plus a $100 No Deposit poker bonus.
