The Devils may not be in a goaltending crisis, but Rémi Poirier is already pushing his way toward a real NHL look.
New Jersey opened the season 1-2, and the problems have shown up everywhere else first: the power play, the penalties, and the defensive breakdowns have done more damage than the goalies. Even so, the netminding has hardly been spotless.
Jake Allen delivered a strong performance in the opener against the Philadelphia Flyers, then gave up five goals to the Utah Mammoth, with the defense in front of him doing little to help. Nico Daws had an even rougher night against the New York Islanders, allowing six goals and never really finding his footing.
That leaves Poirier sitting as the third-string option for now, though the Devils clearly didn’t claim him off waivers days before the season just to let him collect dust. The 25-year-old is still something of an NHL unknown, but his AHL track record gives the Devils a reason to believe there’s more there. He was on the rise with the Texas Stars, looking like a goalie who could eventually develop into an NHL starter before New Jersey scooped him up.
The challenge, of course, is the usual one for AHL goalies making the jump: the NHL is faster, sharper, and demands a different level of technical consistency. Poirier is expected to handle that transition because he brings size, athleticism, and the ability to make big saves when the game gets messy.
He also has the kind of competitive edge that made him tough to deal with in the AHL. With the Stars, he played 52 games last season, showing he can handle a heavy workload.
There’s also a bigger team reason to get him into a game. A new goalie can jolt a group that’s gone flat. Coaches often turn to a backup in-game after a sluggish start just to change the mood, and while the Devils don’t need a dramatic message after a 1-2 start, back-to-back games in which they were outscored 11-3 are enough to make a lineup tweak feel justified.
The schedule gives New Jersey a clean opening. After Tuesday’s game, the Devils have three days to sort things out before their Saturday afternoon matchup, and that break comes at a useful time.
They’re also staring at a grind ahead, with 11 games left to finish the month. That stretch makes a third goalie more than a luxury.
Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks looks like the cleanest spot to give Poirier his first start. It would be a manageable way to ease him into the NHL, and the afternoon start could let Allen and Daws stay in their usual routine, since many goaltenders prefer those 7 PM starts. If the Devils stick with Allen there, the next chances arrive soon enough: the Oct. 17 game against the Washington Capitals or the Oct. 24 game against the Los Angeles Kings both make sense, especially with five games in eight days on the schedule.
Either way, New Jersey shouldn’t let Poirier linger for long. They claimed him to add reinforcement, and while injuries could eventually force the issue, a start from the young goalie would give the Devils another option - and maybe a better one than waiting too long to find out what they have.
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