The New Jersey Devils have spent years trying to solve the one position that once felt automatic. Martin Brodeur made the crease a certainty for nearly three decades, and the standard he set still hangs over everything that comes next. Since then, New Jersey has kept searching for the kind of stability that can change the shape of a season.
Cory Schneider gave them a stretch where the answer looked close. He was excellent for a couple of years, but the team in front of him never fully matched his level. After his decline, the Devils never really locked the position down again.
Mackenzie Blackwood had a chance to be that guy, but injuries pushed him around before he finally got healthy with the Colorado Avalanche. New Jersey then tried the veteran route with Jacob Markstrom, but that move did not deliver either. After trading him to the Florida Panthers, the Devils are now headed toward a goalie rotation in 2026-27.
That is not the direction Sunny Mehta necessarily wants to go. Jake Allen, Nico Daws, and David Rittich are all under contract and expected to play, but that setup still leaves plenty of uncertainty in net.
Mehta has made some off-season moves that point toward a push back to winning, and that fits the roster. The Devils have multiple great young players in their prime, so the goaltending spot stands out as the easiest place to make the whole thing safer.
If New Jersey wants to remove some of that risk, two names could do a lot of damage in the right uniform.
Connor Hellebuyck is the biggest swing. The Winnipeg Jets goalie has been on the trade block since the start of the off-season, and he has built a case as one of the best goalies in NHL history. Before helping Team USA win its first Olympic Gold Medal in 46 years in February, he had already won the Vezina Trophy 3 times and added a Hart Trophy as league MVP.
Put Hellebuyck behind this Devils group and the ceiling changes fast. Their chances to win the division and make a deep playoff run would jump immediately. It would take a massive return to get him, but a goalie of that caliber is the kind of player worth paying for.
The Jets are expected to move him before training camp begins, and plenty of teams are already interested.
Jordan Binnington is the other option. The St. Louis Blues goalie comes with more risk, mostly because he is older and not on Hellebuyck’s level, but he would still be an upgrade over what New Jersey has now.
There is also a case for the environment helping him. Binnington looked sharp when he was the main starter for Team Canada at the Olympics, and it took that brilliant Jack Hughes goal in overtime to beat him. That performance came one year after he helped Canada win the 4-Nations Face-Off, and his Stanley Cup-winning experience from 2019 with the Blues would bring real value if he ended up in New Jersey.
If the Devils let this situation ride into the season and it goes sideways, they may have to revisit the position anyway. And if Hellebuyck and Binnington are already gone by then, the pivot gets a lot harder. Why wait?
In Other News...
Why A.J. MacLean's Arrival Matters So Much For Sheldon Keefe
A.J. MacLeans arrival in New Jersey gives Sheldon Keefe another familiar voice behind the bench, and that matters because this is not just a hire for depth. MacLean comes with a coaching rsum built across the Soo Greyhounds, Toronto Marlies and Syracuse Crunch, where he earned a reputation for helping teams get more out of their power play and for aiding player development.
What makes the move especially interesting is the way it could reshape the Devils coaching mix. There is still some uncertainty about how the duties will be divided, with one coach likely handling broader responsibilities while another leans into forwards and special teams, but MacLeans addition suggests Keefe is starting to build the staff in his own image. [Read more 🡒]
Cody Glass Just Framed The Devils Question Fans Still Worry About
Cody Glass spent last season showing why the Devils brought him in, and why there may still be a bigger layer to his game than the raw numbers suggest. He posted a career-high 19 goals, but what stood out most in his reflection was how much he valued settling into a defined role under Sheldon Keefe, leaning into the defensive work, faceoffs and hard minutes that helped the offense come along naturally.
The bigger question for New Jersey is whether that kind of buy-in can help stabilize a roster that has already seen how quickly a season can swing. Glass pointed to the offseason additions as a sign the Devils are trying to build a deeper, smarter group with players who can handle top-six duty or slide down the lineup when injuries hit, and he also acknowledged how last years early surge gave way once consistency disappeared. The part that matters now is whether the Devils have added enough of that versatility to avoid another stretch where everything starts to unravel. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Hughes Debate Just Took A Stunning Turn For Devils Fans
Luke Hughes first season at the heart of the Devils long-term plans has not been a clean one, which is part of why the conversation around his place in the lineup has grown so loud. The 2025-26 campaign has brought mixed results, some criticism tied to his $9 million contract, and enough uneven play to make the debate feel bigger than a simple early-season slump. Even so, the numbers behind his game still point to a defenseman whose speed and ability to drive play remain very much in the mix for New Jersey.
What makes the discussion more interesting is that the analytics do not line up with the frustration. Hughes value appears to be tracking above his salary, and his defensive impact has shown enough promise to suggest there is another level coming if the Devils clean up their own zone play around him. For a team looking to stabilize its blue line, the question is no longer whether Hughes belongs in the conversation, but how far his game can climb once the rough edges start to smooth out. [Read more 🡒]