Jake Allen has lived through the three-goalie setup, and he’s not pretending it was some smooth, elegant solution.
The Devils are rolling into a new season with a goalie room that looks nothing like the one fans expected when Jacob Markstrom arrived. Markstrom was supposed to solve a problem that had haunted New Jersey for years, but that plan unraveled fast.
His first season was merely fine, then injuries hit, and when he returned he struggled badly for a stretch before finding his game again in time for the playoffs. In the 2025 first round against the Carolina Hurricanes, he was one of the main reasons the Devils avoided being completely run over, and along with Simon Nemec, he helped keep their streak of never getting swept alive.
Last season told a different story. Markstrom fell apart and became one of the worst starting goalies in the league, which made his unnecessary extension one of Sunny Mehta’s first major problems to clean up after taking over as GM. Mehta shipped Markstrom to the Florida Panthers in a deal that brought back Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist, then took a very different path in net than many around the team expected.
Instead of swinging big for a name like Connor Hellebuyck, or settling on a more familiar target such as Jordan Binnington or John Gibson, Mehta re-signed Nico Daws and added former Islanders backup David Rittich on a one-year deal. That gives the Devils a three-goalie rotation, a setup that has already drawn plenty of skepticism because only one goalie can actually play at a time.
Allen, who is expected to lead that group, didn’t exactly sell it as the ideal arrangement when he spoke to Daily Faceoff on Thursday.
"As long as there's clear lines of communications, and understanding where everyone stands, I think that's the biggest thing. As a goalie you're sitting there (when there's) three, you're like 'am I ever gonna play, is this guy gonna play, is my next game in two weeks in three weeks.' As long as there's a clear communications path, I don't see any problem with it."
He also pointed back to his time in Montreal, where he was part of a three-goalie rotation with Samuel Montembault and Cayden Primeau. That experience left him unimpressed.
"Personally, I didn't really like it."
Still, Allen made it clear that the issue isn’t the number of goalies so much as the way the situation is handled. If everyone knows where they stand, he believes the setup can work. He even suggested that a team could come out of it with more points by season’s end.
For Mehta and Sheldon Keefe, that perspective matters. Allen has seen the version that doesn’t work, and he’s also the guy who now has to help make this one function. His message was simple: give the goalies a clear path, and the rest becomes a lot easier to manage.
In Other News...
Devils Face A Defining Dawson Mercer Decision This Season
The Devils spent the offseason reshaping their forward group, adding veteran Anthony Mantha and creating a little more clarity in the middle six. In that mix, Dawson Mercer stands out as one of the more useful pieces on the roster because he can play up and down the lineup, handle different assignments, and still chip in offensively when his game is settled into one lane.
What Mercer needs now is a role that lets those traits work for him instead of against him. The case for keeping him on a permanent third-line wing is easy to see, especially with Evan Rodrigues projected to center that group, because it gives New Jersey a dependable line that can still score without asking Mercer to keep bouncing between spots and responsibilities. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Suddenly Look Like Real Players For A Scoring Winger Sweepstakes
Kirill Marchenkos trade request has turned a routine rumor cycle into a real front-burner item, and the Devils are suddenly being discussed as more than a speculative fit. The Columbus winger has become one of the more intriguing names on the market because New Jersey has both the roster need and the contract flexibility to chase a scoring upgrade, which is exactly the kind of profile that tends to draw serious attention this time of year.
Marchenkos agent has also nudged the story forward without closing it, suggesting movement could be coming while stopping short of calling anything imminent. For the Devils, the appeal is obvious enough that they can be mentioned among the serious possibilities, especially with the draft capital to put together a meaningful offer if the bidding gets real, but for now the final step still has not been taken. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Weighing A Risky Scoring Gamble Fans Know Too Well
Sunny Mehtas first summer running the Devils has already brought a noticeable reset, with changes to the front office, coaching staff and roster all arriving in quick succession. New Jersey has moved on from Jacob Markstrom and Simon Nemec, then added Anthony Mantha on a two-year deal as it keeps sorting through the remaining free-agent market for ways to add scoring without overcommitting.
One name still hanging around the conversation is Patrik Laine, but the Devils are not treating this as a simple fit-and-sign situation. Before anything else moves forward, the club wants to see whether he can still bring the kind of shot that once made him such a dangerous offensive bet, and a workout is expected to help determine whether a bonus-heavy offer makes sense. [Read more 🡒]