Rémi Poirier may be on the Devils’ roster, but he is still waiting for his turn to matter in the crease.
New Jersey has three goalies in the picture, yet Sheldon Keefe keeps coming back to the same point: this is still a two-goalie setup. Jake Allen and Nico Daws are the ones in line for games, while Poirier remains the extra layer of protection behind them.
Keefe made that especially plain on Monday, when he said any shift in that arrangement would have to come from above him.
“If or when we make a switch and get Poirier involved more, that’ll come from Sunny and how we want to do it,” Keefe said, referring to general manager Sunny Mehta.
For now, the Devils are using Poirier as depth and insurance. The 25-year-old would need to clear waivers before being assigned to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, and in a league that values goaltending so heavily, New Jersey appears wary of exposing him to that risk.
The Devils claimed Poirier off waivers from the Dallas Stars on Sept. 27, giving the team another option in net. But that move did not open the door to an immediate rotation of three goalies fighting for starts.
Keefe has stuck to that line from the start. When Poirier joined the team’s practice rotation on Oct. 8, the extra workload drew attention, but Keefe said it was simply about different reps and more time with teammates.
“Tomorrow we’ll be back to two,” Keefe said that day. “The plan hasn’t changed in terms of our focus being on getting Jake and Nico Daws prepared to play games.”
That message hadn’t changed by Monday.
“From our approach, it’s a two-goalie system here,” Keefe said Monday.
“The priority remains on Dawsy and Jake,” Keefe said.
Poirier, for his part, hasn’t disguised how strange the setup can feel.
“Every goalie would say it’s probably not the best situation,” he said on Oct. 8.
Still, he hasn’t turned it into a grievance. Instead, he has talked about supporting Allen and Daws while using the added work with goaltending coach Dan Stewart to sharpen his own game.
“Try to be the best teammate for those guys,” Poirier said. “Try to be there for them and push them to be better, too, as well, like they push me to be better.”
He also made clear that getting to New Jersey was something he welcomed. Leaving the Dallas organization, where he had spent several seasons building relationships and developing, came as a surprise. But the move has not yet brought the opening he wants.
“I’m really grateful that the team picked me, and hopefully at some point I can get a look,” Poirier said. “But right now I’m just working hard every day, and hopefully at some point I get a chance.”
Keefe’s explanation Monday pointed to more than just preference. He said a three-goalie arrangement can be difficult for everyone involved.
“I don’t think there’s a goalie in the world that would tell you that a three-goalie system is healthy mentally to stay focused and feel trusted and all of that kind of stuff,” Keefe said.
That helps explain why Poirier has not been worked into the start rotation. The Devils want Daws to have a real chance to settle in, while also managing Allen’s workload at 36. Keefe said the team also began with a lighter schedule before things got busier, which made it harder to give either goalie a long run of starts.
“They give Dawsy and Jake all the occasion to do their stuff,” he said. “We don’t really know right now, but we’ll see.”
For now, the clearest part of Poirier’s status is that he is there if needed - and that New Jersey is comfortable leaving him in that role.
“Poirier, at this point, is nice insurance for us in terms of our depth,” Keefe said. “He’s been handling it tremendously.”
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