Can the New Jersey Devils finish at the top of the Metropolitan Division and go further in the playoffs? Mike Stephens and Ryan Kennedy discuss. Vitek Vanecek [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNDIwMjQxODgyODUxMzAx/usatsi_21574521.jpg] Vitek Vanecek The New Jersey Devils enjoyed a stunning 112-point breakthrough performance in 2022-23 following several years of rebuilding. However, goaltending remains a potential Achilles heel that could derail their Stanley Cup hopes this season. Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid enter this season as the Devils' goaltending tandem. However, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman mentioned in the Oct. 9 32 Thoughts podcast [https://www.sportsnet.ca/podcasts/32-thoughts/] he thinks GM Tom Fitzgerald is monitoring the goalie market. It's not the first time [https://thehockeynews.com/news/could-the-new-jersey-devils-acquire-connor-hellebuyck-in-2023-24] speculation has surfaced suggesting Fitzgerald could look into a goaltending upgrade. Rumors over the summer linked the Devils to the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck and the Anaheim Ducks' John Gibson [https://thehockeynews.com/news/could-the-new-jersey-devils-pursue-john-gibson]. Hellebuyck, however, is now off the market after signing a seven-year extension with the Jets on Monday. Gibson, meanwhile, carries a $6.4-million average annual value through 2026-27 [https://puckpedia.com/player/john-gibson]. The Ducks could also set a high asking price for the 30-year-old netminder. New Jersey Hockey Now's James Nichols [https://newjerseyhockeynow.com/2023/10/09/report-devils-continue-to-search-for-goaltending/] doesn't believe the Devils have an imminent plan to acquire a goalie. He thinks Fitzgerald will wait and see how Vanecek and Schmid perform over the course of the season. If Fitzgerald had a more immediate need for an upgrade between the pipes, he'll find the pickings slim. There aren't any reliable starting goalies still in their prime currently available. Several goaltenders with low-cost contracts, such as Toronto's Martin Jones, Anaheim's Alex Stalock and Pittsburgh's Magnus Hellberg, were recently available on waivers. Fitzgerald could've plucked one of them off the wire but chose not to go that route. If Fitzgerald does go into the trade market for a goaltender, it's more likely he'll do so closer to the trade deadline. Better options could be available to him by that point.
