Last season, the New Jersey Devils finally had a breakout season.

Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Dougie Hamilton, Jesper Bratt, and Dawson Mercer led the way, as they made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Even more so, the Devils overcame their tri-state rival New York Rangers in the first round to win their first postseason series since 2012. Even though they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round in five games, their future is looking extremely bright.

However, the Devils might have one piece missing from a potential Stanley Cup recipe – goaltending. They were hoping for a bounceback season from MacKenzie Blackwood, but it never came. Luckily, trade acquisition Vitek Vanecek provided steady play in net with a .911% save percentage in 52 regular season games, while 22 year old rookie Akira Schmid raised eyebrows with a .922% save percentage in 18 appearances.

Schmid continued his strong play in the playoffs (.921% save percentage in nine games), but Vanecek didn’t (.825% save percentage in seven games).

If the Devils want to run it back with Vanecek and Schmid, I don’t think anyone would fault them. It’s hard to find quality goaltending at a reasonable price. The Devils right now have an effective tandem signed for a combined $4.250833 million cap hit. 22 individual goalies have a higher cap hit than that.

However, the Devils need to seriously consider trading for Connor Hellebuyck. Every other trade option would either be a downgrade or be a upgrade so miniscule, one would have to wonder the point of making said upgrade. Hellebuyck, though, provides the Devils with a sure thing – a Vezina Trophy caliber goaltender.

Last season, according to MoneyPuck, Hellebuyck had the fourth-highest goals saved above average (30.8) during all situations. Meanwhile, Schmid ranked 18th among all goalies with at least 16 games played while Vanecek ranked 23rd. Combined, Schmid and Vanecek had a GSAA of 13.3. Not bad, but certainly not elite like Hellebuyck.

What’s interesting is Schmid actually had a higher goals saved above average per hour (0.546) than Hellebuyck (0.489). The former finished sixth among goalies with at least 16 starts while Hellebuyck finished seventh.

However, Hellebuyck has a proven track record, something Schmid doesn’t have yet.

He has finished in the top 10 in GSAA each season since the 2019-20 season and has been named a Vezina Trophy finalist thrice in his career, winning it in 2019-20. If you told a Devils fan Schmid will have a career as good as Hellebuyck’s, they’d be ecstatic.

So why not at least seriously consider trading for Hellebuyck?

The Devils might be able to have the best of both worlds if they can trade for Hellebuyck without trading Schmid. If the Pierre Luc-Dubois trade is a hint of what the Jets might want for Hellebuyck, the Devils might be able to make it happen without giving up their promising young goalie. The Jets will likely want an immediate replacement for their franchise goalie.

Vanecek isn’t a Vezina Trophy caliber goaltender, but he’s perfectly fine. He’s right around league average or slightly above league average. Instead of including someone like Gabe Vilardi and Alex Iafallo, the Devils could include top forward prospect Alexander Holtz, who Scott Wheeler of The Athletic recently ranked 34th in his top 50 drafted prospects list.

Vanecek, Holtz, and the Devils 2024 first round pick should be enough to get the ball rolling on a Hellebuyck trade.

This trade wouldn’t be without risk. Sure, Hellebuyck is a top-tier goalie right now. But what about the future? Hellebuyck is 30 years old. Goalies tend to decline after reaching 30. Not all of them do. Pekka Rinne, Marc-Andre Fleury, Henrik Lundqvist, and Roberto Luongo are among recent goaltenders who managed to delay the aging curve. But as they say, Father Time is undefeated.

Plus, since Hellebuyck has just one year left on his current deal, an extension will be necessary if the Devils want to keep him around for more than a year. As one of the top goalies in the NHL, Hellebuyck will likely want a contract that pays him as such.

Despite the risk involved in acquiring Connor Hellebuyck, the New Jersey Devils are in a position to assume that risk. The Devils are on the cusp of winning a Stanley Cup. Hellebuyck would solidify their tandem for the foreseeable future. Also, because the Devils have made so many smart moves like signing Jack Hughes just before his breakout season, they can afford to take more risks that could pay off significantly.

Keep in mind the Rangers and Islanders, two direct competitors of the Devils, each have a franchise goaltender. That’s a significant advantage. Should the Devils trade for Hellebuyck and manage to keep Schmid, they’d no longer have the advantage.

The Devils are very close to winning a Stanley Cup. If they want to win one with their current core of players, trading for Hellebuyck is something they should seriously consider.

– Flava Dave

*Photo courtesy of PensBurgh*