Everything in life comes down to supply and demand. Right now, the market for a goaltender appears to be at an all-time high.

Through the first 36 games of the 2023-24 season, the New Jersey Devils have utilized three goaltenders: Vitek Vanecek, 27, Akira Schmid, 23, and Nico Daws, 23.

Vanecek has started 23 games this season, the most of the three, and has a record of 13-7-1 with a goals-against average of 3.35 and a save percentage of .883. 

Right after the Christmas break, the organization sent Schmid down to the Utica Comets (American Hockey League) and recalled Daws.

Schmid started the season with the club and owns a 5-7-1 in 15 games with a goals-against average of 3.26 and a save percentage of .893. The answer was clear when asked what the coaching staff is looking for Schmid to work on while in the AHL.

"Go play," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "Go play more games and get in a rhythm. We think a lot of (Schmid). We know what he has done for us. We haven't played as well as we needed to play in front of our goalies, although our goalies can give us more saves at times. We haven't been as good as a team in front of our goaltenders, either. It's kind of a two-way street."

Since swapping Schmid for Daws, the latter has earned a 2-0-0 record in two games with a goals-against average of 2.52 and a save percentage of .906 this season. While the youngster has certainly been a bright spot since his recall on Dec. 27, fans would still like to see general manager Tom Fitzgerald make a move to solidify the goaltending position. But that may not be as easy as it seems.

Everything in life comes down to supply and demand. Right now, the market for a goaltender is crazy, at least according to Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on a recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.

"(The) Carolina (Hurricanes) would have made a deal for a goaltender if they could have. New Jersey would have probably made a deal for a goalie, (the) Edmonton (Oilers) would have," Friedman said. "I think even the middling goalies, the prices are crazy."

One netminder New Jersey fans are keeping an eye on is John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks. The one issue with Gibson is that he is in the midst of his eight-year, $51,200,000 contract with an average annual value of $6.4 million.

"Someone was saying to me that they think with Anaheim, a trade for Gibson and retention would be enormous," Friedman continued. "I do think if you want Anaheim to retain, it's going to cost."

One expects the craze surrounding the goaltending market to intensify as the trade deadline nears and teams become more desperate. The question becomes, how desperate is New Jersey this season?

The Devils are a team on the rise, and while the goal every season is to win the Stanley Cup, time is on New Jersey's side. Schmid and Daws are restricted free agents after this season, and Vanecek will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.

At the time of publication, the Devils are one point out of the second wild-card spot. It is far from ideal, but it is not the worst position they could be in as the second half of the season nears.

One name Friedman has heard is San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen.

"I think there are a few teams that kind of thought about him," Friedman said. "Number one, what's the price? Number two, the only negative I heard was that you just don't know."

The 27-year-old netminder is on an expiring deal, which makes acquiring him a low-risk move. Over his five-season career, Kahkonen has never had to be "the guy" in net, which makes general managers wonder how he would fit into their respective teams.

An example given on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast was NFL quarterback Joe Flacco.

"Joe Flacco wins a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens. ...He leaves the Ravens, goes to a couple of teams and it does not go very well. Now he shows up in Cleveland, and he looks better than he ever has," Friedman said.

"One general manager said to me he is watching Joe Flacco and following his career path. It is like a goalie in the NHL," he continued. "Sometimes you have no idea what to expect. Why is this guy good with this team, and why is this guy not good with this other team? A perfect example (is) Cam Talbot."

Marek added, "Not all goaltenders fit with every single team, and performance cannot be replicated because all teams are different."

Teams like New Jersey, Carolina, and Edmonton have hopes to make the postseason and follow it with a deep run. Kahkonen has never appeared in a playoff game. In that regard, he would be in the same boat that Vanecek and Schmid were in the last postseason.

Goaltending is an area that needs to be addressed at some point, but right now, is the juice worth the squeeze for Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils? Would it be better for the club to wait out the market and instead focus on adding a reliable stay-at-home defenseman and stabilizing the play in front of his goaltenders? Throughout the team's rebuild, Fitzgerald has shown patience in adding pieces that will help his team become a consistent contender, and it is unlikely for his approach to change. 

It's worth remembering that once in a while, an organization will receive an offer on a player they previously did not consider moving, and an unexpected deal will come to fruition. Just as general managers may not know what to expect from goaltenders, fans may not know what to expect from their team's front office.

The 2023-24 NHL Trade Deadline is Friday, Mar. 8, 2024, at 3:00 P.M. ET, and Fitzgerald, along with 31 other general managers, will have some difficult decisions to make.