After hiring Sheldon Keefe to take over head teaching duties for the New Jersey Devils, Common Supervisor Tom Fitzgerald is now transferring on to the following merchandise on his docket for the offseason.
On Tuesday, Josh Gold-Smith of TheScore reported that Fitzgerald is entertaining transferring on from the workforce’s tenth general choose within the 2024 NHL Draft to amass a top-tier goaltender.
“If we really feel it helps us now and within the foreseeable future, then, sure, I’m listening,” Fitzgerald advised Mike G. Morreale of the NHL on Monday. “I haven’t gotten something but, however the extra I discuss to groups, I say ‘Pay attention, I’m open to transferring No. 10, however it’s going to should be one thing (important).'”
If the Devils do find yourself buying and selling the tenth general choose, it ought to be a excessive sufficient return to amass the likes of Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames, Juuse Saros from the Nashville Predators or Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, assuming the Devils can signal one of many latter two to an extension this summer season.
Particularly in New Jersey, there’s precedent from the group in buying and selling a top-10 choose for a longtime goaltender. After making it to the 2012 Stanley Cup Last, the Devils cratered within the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, incomes the ninth general choose of the 2013 NHL Draft.
To melt the blow of the eventual departure of franchise legend Martin Brodeur, New Jersey traded the ninth general choose (which might be used to pick Bo Horvat) to the Vancouver Canucks to amass Cory Schneider.
Though the Devils solely made the playoffs as soon as throughout Schneider’s seven-year run within the Backyard State, the workforce acquired a goaltender coming off a .927 save proportion over 30 video games within the prior yr for a top-10 choice. Factoring in trades for goaltenders over the past a number of years, the tenth general choose ought to fulfill the specified return for all three goaltenders listed.
