In an exclusive interview with Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News, New Jersey Devils goaltender Nico Daws talks about the Devils' latest goaltending moves.

New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald knew he needed to address his goaltending ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.

With numerous reports linking him to numerous goaltenders, including Jacob Markstrom, Juuse Saros, and John Gibson, a shake-up was coming; it was only a matter of when.

From late December to early March, Nico Daws was part of a Devils' goaltending tandem that included Vitek Vanecek or Akira Schmid.

On March 8, things changed for Daws.

Vanecek is no longer a member of the Devils, as he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen. That same day, Fitzgerald acquired veteran netminder Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens.

Two new faces meant Schmid was traveling the New York Thruway back to Utica, NY, to join the Devils' American Hockey League affiliate.

Before the team departed for Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, Daws sat at his stall with Kahkonen packing his hockey bag to his right and Allen speaking to a small media scrum on his left.

Over the past two practices, microphones, cameras, and phones were fixated on the Devils' newest acquisitions. Noticing Daws quietly sitting there, I sat next to him to see how the last week had been from the young netminder's perspective.

"It is different. It is a bit of a whirlwind. Just guys going everywhere," he said. "Obviously, I will miss (Vanecek). He was an awesome guy to me. He made me really comfortable here. Me and (Schmid) go way back."

Daws knows that uncertainty and trades come with being a professional athlete, and in these situations, "it is what it is."

"Now it is two new guys, and I get to watch them and learn from them. It is pretty cool," he said.

Allen is a veteran in the league and was part of the St. Louis Blues' 2019 Stanley Cup championship team.

"I have a lot of respect for him," Daws said of Allen. "To be able to last this long in the league, you have to be really good at what you do. Like I said, it is really cool to learn from people like that."

The Devils have 17 games left in the 2023-24 regular season. Daws and Schmid will be restricted free agents this summer, while Kahkonen will become an unrestricted free agent. Allen is under contract for one more season, with the Canadiens retaining 50 percent of his $3.85 million contract ($1.925).

Allen is expected to be part of the Devils' tandem for the 2024-25 season, and Fitzgerald set himself up to go "big game hunting" this summer to solidify the goaltending position.

Knowing this, where does that leave 23-year-old Daws?

"I don't know what the plan is for me. Obviously, I am just going to put my head down and work until someone tells me otherwise."

Earlier in the week, interim head coach Travis Green said the organization is taking things day by day when it comes to carrying three goaltenders on their roster for the remainder of the season. The next step is to get Allen up and running and then go from there.

Daws has appeared in 20 games this season and has a record of 9-11-0. His goals-against average is 3.26, and his save percentage is .891.

The Devils will play the Dallas Stars on Thursday night and then travel to Arizona to face the Coyotes on March 16 before concluding their three-game road trip with a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 17.

On Wednesday, Allen confirmed he is still waiting on his work visa, meaning that, for the time being, the Devils will move forward with a goaltending tandem of Daws and Kahkonen. 

Puck drop between the Devils and Stars is scheduled for 8:00 P.M.