Evaluating the Future of the New Jersey Devils' Goaltending

The New Jersey Devils are set for this season in the net, but what happens moving forward?

Feb 13, 2025

For once, the New Jersey Devils have been getting above-average goaltending, with Jacob Markstrom, Jake Allen, and Nico Daws combining for +28.5 goals saved above expected (GSAx), the second-highest mark behind the Anaheim Ducks (+34.8). Markstrom, when healthy, has operated as a top-10 starter in the NHL, and Allen, according to this statistic, has been the best backup goalie in the league. Even Daws, in his two starts, performed admirably.

What a change of pace, right?

It’s kind of surprising, too, to be honest. I was well aboard the Markstrom train before he was acquired, as his high-danger save percentage (HDSV%) was always at the top of the league, and, at the time, that was what the Devils needed most from a goaltender. Allen was the perfect acquisition last season from that standpoint as well. I didn’t expect either one to be this good, though.

Allen’s contract expires this season, and Markstrom has one more year after 2024-25 at a measly $4.125 million. Looking at the depth chart and pipeline, though, I think the Devils are pretty set for a good while.

NHL Goaltenders
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
AHL Goaltenders/Injury Call-Ups
Nico Daws
Isaac Poulter
Tyler Brennan
Prospects
Mikhail Yegorov
Jakub Málek
Veeti Louhivaara

Aside from the AHL-level goalies, who I anticipate will called upon very infrequently when one of Markstrom or Allen is down with injury, there is a ton to like here.

The Future of Markstrom & Allen

Markstrom is signed through at least next season, but Allen becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after this campaign. If I were GM Tom Fitzgerald, I would try to extend him to another one-year deal.

He’s 34 years of age but has proven himself as a reliable 1B-backup caliber netminder, especially this season. In 34 games last season, he was basically break-even in terms of GSAx with a -1.9. The previous season, he again posted a -1.9 GSAx, but in 42 games. In 2021-22, he had a -2.2 in 35 games. You get the point that Allen provides at least average goaltending every season.

Goalie prices are increasing year-over-year, and 2024-25 is no exception. This holds true for backups and 1Bs as well, as indicated by the report that Washington’s Charlie Lindgren is looking at a multi-year extension between $3.5 and $4 million. The Devils have a distinct advantage here: Lindgren is 31, three years younger than Allen. They are of similar caliber over the last three seasons as well.

Lindgren’s last three years look like this:

2022-23: 31 games — .899 SV%, 3.05 GAA, -3.9 GSAx
2023-24: 50 games — .911 SV%, 2.67 GAA, +10.5 GSAx
2024-25: 25 games — .902 SV%, 2.63 GAA, +0.2 GSAx

…versus Allen’s:

2022-23: 42 games — .891 SV%, 3.55 GAA, -1.9 GSAx
2023-24: 34 games — .895 SV%, 3.44 GAA, -1.9 GSAx
2024-25: 21 games — .912 SV%, 2.56 GAA, +16.1 GSAx

Lindgren has the leg up from 2022-24, but Allen has stolen the show between the two this season. My guess? Allen gets a one-year deal between $2.75 million and $3.25 million. Considering the cap is rising tremendously, I think this is a fair deal.

This would give the Devils one more season of Markstrom and Allen as their tandem. Daws is also signed through 2025-26, so he can be the injury call-up if/when needed. I think a nothing-changes approach is the best one while the goalie prospects marinate a bit more.

Now, onto the fun stuff — checking in on the Devils’ goalie pipeline. I’m going to ignore Isaac Poulter and Tyler Brennan because they’re almost certainly not turning into anything other than a second injury call-up if the Hockey Gods smite the Devils.

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Mikhail Yegorov

Boston University (NCAA): 5 Games Played | 3-2-0 | .951 SV% | 1.41 GAA | 0 Shutouts

After matriculating mid-season with Boston University because he was playing extremely well on a wildly horrendous Omaha Lancers team in the USHL, Mikhail Yegorov has taken the NCAA by storm. Now playing in front of a competent defense that isn’t giving up high-danger chance after high-danger chance, he’s looked every bit the part of a stud goaltender in the making.

The most impressive part of his game to me is his composure under high-stress situations. He reads plays extremely well and is content to let his 6’5 frame do most of the work. The 2-on-0 sequence below is a great example of this — despite the puck not hitting the net, Yegorov reacted to the play extraordinarily well and maintained his equanimity:

He tracks the puck exceptionally skillfully, and his superb positioning dictates that if he can see a puck and reach it, he’s going to save it. I saw some people complaining that his rebound control was rough when saving the puck with his glove in the Beanpot final on Monday, but it’s important to note that he had just gotten a new glove — when playing with one that was already broken in, he swallowed those chances pretty easily and confidently. At times, he can put a rebound back into the slot if it’s a low shot taken at a sharp angle.

The only thing I want to see more from him — and it isn’t his fault — is his athleticism. I admittedly didn’t see more than a couple of his USHL games, but scouts have frequented complimenting his fitness and recovery abilities. Behind a strong BU defense, there hasn’t been much need for him to showcase them. I have no doubt in my mind that he’s able, but I want to actually see it in action before I fully commit to pumping his tires.

He’s only 18, and the fact that he’s already taken a stranglehold of the starts for BU is remarkable considering he committed just a few weeks ago. Goalies in this circuit typically spend three years in the NCAA before making the jump to the NHL — off the top of my head, I can only remember Devon Levi, Spencer Knight, and Connor Hellebuyck marinating for just two seasons in college. There are certainly more out there, but even the likes of Jeremy Swayman, Ryan Miller (college hockey’s best goalie of all time), and Thatcher Demko took three seasons before going to the big leagues.

There’s definitely a starter-caliber goaltender in Yegorov in a few years. He already possesses the composure and mental stability of an NHL netminder and, with some more reps, will only tighten those aspects of his game.

Strength(s): Composure, vision, glove, lateral movement, reflexes, size, post coverage, VH technique

Weakness(es): Pad rebound control/puck directioning on sharp angle shots

NHL Timeline: 2027-28, sooner if he keeps it up

Jakub Málek

Ilves (Liiga): 27 Games Played | 12-9-5 | .912 SV% | 2.11 GAA | 4 Shutouts | +7.89 GSAx

I’m a huge Jakub Málek fan and always have been, going so far as to say that he’s the Devils’ best goaltending prospect on both Twitter and the Devils on the Rush podcast.

That was before Yegorov’s explosion into the NCAA scene, but I do still think there is a legitimate argument to it. He’s flown under the radar of most scouts but is following a career path to now-stud Lukas Dostal, even down to the same Liiga team.

In Dostal’s D+2 season, he was top-five in SV% and GAA. So was Málek. In Dostal’s D+3, a COVID season, he ranked first in both metrics. Málek, currently in his D+3, is third in SV% and first in GAA. He’s also first in shutouts.

When Málek is on his game, he looks simply unbeatable. He tracks the puck well, even through difficult screens. He is calm and collected in odd-man situations and, if he gets beaten with a deke, can recover extremely quickly, especially from his glove side.

He, like most goalies now (and both other notable ones in the Devils’ pipeline) has good size at 6’4, and knows it. He’s content to let his body take up the majority of the net when need be, proving to be an asset when opposing forwards have the puck in tight. He has good speed getting across the crease and covers his posts well with a strong reverse VH. He can also drop down into a butterfly very quickly.

Veeti Louhivaara

JYP U-20 (SM-Sarja) | 14 Games Played | 3-9-0 | .903 SV% | 2.85 GAA | 0 Shutouts

Veeti Louhivaara, drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, is the prototypical late-round selection—very raw. At 6'4", he is solidly built for a netminder and has the raw toolkit you like to see from a now-19-year-old. His lateral movement is explosive, and he has a very strong butterfly that seals off just about the entirety of the lower half of the net.

He needs to hunch over a bit less, which will be a bit counteractive to the adeptness he possesses on the bottom half of the net but will improve his much-lacking upper-half coverage, where he can get exposed at times. His glove is strong, and while he struggles to swallow shots, his V is tight and controlled and he directs low shots into the corners exceptionally well. I don’t think his blocker side is a strength.

He is a strong skater, pushing well side-to-side and having great balance. He seldom gets knocked off his feet even with a crowd in front of him. He also has solid puck-tracking abilities. At times, he can sit too deep in his crease and allow shooters to have more angles to beat him.

He hasn’t been super great in Finland’s third-tier league but he’s also been on a relatively weak team. He was recently called up to their second league (Mestis) and should see some more time there, where he’ll be tested more often and with higher-danger opportunities. As with these kinds of projects, while the raw tools are enticing, consistency is an issue. He does have the frame for success and what he’s good at, he’s very good at. His athleticism will also be able to take a step once he sheds a few pounds (he’s listed at 207, which is pretty heavy for a goalie).

In five or six years, there might be a backup-caliber goalie here. He just needs more reps and marination.

Strength(s): Skating, sight, composure, glove, lateral movement, sealing off the bottom of the net, size

Weakness(es): Consistency, positioning, blocker-side saves, slumping over when covering the lower half of the net, rebound control, mobility by proxy of weight

NHL Timeline: 2029-30

Projecting the Next Five Seasons

I’m going to start this off by saying that goalies are impossible to truly project. They’re just too sporadic in their development and can boom or bust at legitimately any time, much more so than any skater position. One hip injury can derail their entire career (Corey Schneider), or they can come out of nowhere, completely blow their projection out of the water, and outright dominate (Dustin Wolf). With that in mind, though, I’ll project the next five seasons for Devils’ goalies for the sake of citing this in the lottery-sized chance that I’m correct in 2030.

2025-26: Jacob Markstrom (Starter), Jake Allen (Backup), Nico Daws (Injury Call-up)

No surprises here. As I mentioned above, the Devils should run it back with the same goalie group next season.

2026-27: Jacob Markstrom (Starter), Jakub Málek (Backup), Nico Daws (Injury Call-up)

Because Málek will have only been in the AHL and acclimated to North American ice and pace for one season, I think the Devils try to extend Markstrom for one more year as the starter, giving Málek the opportunities on back-to-backs or if he gets the hot hand for stretch. Yegorov will still be only 20 years old and likely ironing out some more kinks in his game. NCAA goalies typically spend at least three years playing college hockey and barring a gigantic step forward, it’s tough for me to regard him as an exception to that “rule.” I also think Daws is extended for one more year as Utica’s starter and NHL injury call-up.

2027-28: Jakub Málek (Starter/1A), Mikhail Yegorov (1B/Backup), Random Goalie (Injury Call-up)

This season should be the season in which we see both Málek and Yegorov in the NHL — in my fantasy land Málek is the starter because he has more NHL experience at this point, but it’s entirely possible that Yegorov plays the tandem into a 1A/1B situation. He’ll only be 21 years old, but if he continues on his path of NCAA dominance I find it hard to believe he won’t make an impact in the big leagues at a young age. I think the Devils would grab a random goalie or have a future draftee playing in the AHL (maybe it’s even Louhivaara, but I still think he’s too raw to project into any sort of role for another couple of years).

2028-29: Mikhail Yegorov (1A), Jakub Málek (1B), Random Goalie (Injury Call-up)

This is where we see Yegorov’s ceiling take over, as Málek turns from the Starter/1A to the 1B option. This would be a two-headed monster similar to what the Devils have now, I think, though it’s certainly a dangerous game comparing Yegorov to Markstrom.

2029-30: Mikhail Yegorov (Starter/1A), Jakub Málek (1B/Backup), Veeti Louhivaara (Injury Call-up)

If there’s a season I’m confident that Louhivaara will be ready for serious AHL time, it’s 2029-30. He’ll be 24, so those raw tools will have solidified. Yegorov and Málek continue as the Devils’ tandem of the future — at this point, the two will be 23 and 27.

The Devils look to be somewhat stacked at the goaltender position, both now and in the future. A combination of a top-five NHL goalie tandem and a strong pipeline is hard to come by. They don’t quite have the two-headed monster that Detroit has in Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine or the near-surefire top-10 goalie like Montreal has in Jacob Fowler, but they should have a nice 1-2 punch in net for a very long time with Yegorov and Málek — if they both pan out in their first few seasons in the NHL, the Devils will have two low-cost, average-at-worst goalies to play behind a core in its prime.