James Nichols
The New Jersey Devils had more wins than the Vegas Golden Knights—one of the teams in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final—in spite of their incredibly disappointing goaltending.
Think about that for a second.
The distant future looks good between the pipes in New Jersey. Mikhail Yegorov and Jakub Malek are two very real goaltending prospects the Devils own. Both of which could end up being the tandem for the Devils once they’re fully developed.
However, following the disappointment from last season—of which you can point directly to the goaltending—there are immediate concerns and uncertainty with the Devils’ goaltending.
The goaltending situation is a glaring mess.
One of Tom Fitzgerald‘s parting gifts in New Jersey was cursing the Devils with a two-year extension for Jacob Markstrom. He’s locked in for $6 million against the cap over the next two seasons, which is a contract that is simply untradeable.
Markstrom’s 2025-26 was so disappointing that if new GM Sunny Mehta can somehow get it off the books, ti would be nothing short of a miracle.
Yet, there’s a clear indication that there are other plans.
The Devils fired their goaltending coach, Dave Rogalski, and are searching for a replacement.
It seems that the idea is to teach the old dog some new tricks with the hope of reviving the goaltender the Devils traded for in the first place.
Sheldon Keefe does have Jake Allen to lean on at the very least, something he certainly did last season. However, if the Markstrom problem persists in 2026-27, Mehta will need to figure out a way to be rid of the Swedish netminder and perhaps run with an Allen and Nico Daws tandem.
Daws has shown to this point he’s ready for a full-time NHL role, but the opportunity has yet to present himself. As a restrcited free agent this summer, we’ll see what direction Mehta goes in with Daws, but the Devils could certainly use him as a Markstrom insurance policy.
Let’s get to some grades.
Devils Grades
Jacob Markstrom: A Major Letdown — F
Final Line: 44 GP | 23-19-1 | 3.07 GAA | .883 SV% | 1 SO
The Devils brought Markstrom in to be their No. 1 guy and give the team some stability. He didn’t come close to holding up his end of the bargain. An .883 save percentage is rough no matter how you slice it — and it was one of the worst among goalies who actually played real minutes.
Night after night, he was letting in soft goals, fighting the puck, and giving up ugly rebounds. The defense had to bail him out far too often.
There were a few flashes of the old Markstrom, but the inconsistency was impossible to ignore. At 35, the athletic decline looks real, and his performance actively cost the Devils points in too many games. After this season, it’s fair to wonder if he’s still a legitimate starting goalie in this league.
Not to mention, Markstrom’s specialty was supposed to be making the big saves against high-danger chances. Yet, his high-danger save percentage ranked outside the 50th percentile at .793, and he ranked 88th in the NHL with a -0.281 goals saved above expected.
It’s a tough spot for Mehta to be in. How can he possibly see the sample from last season combined with age and go into 2026-27 treating Markstrom like a sure thing?
At any chance to perhaps offload—maybe even buyout—the contract, Mehta will have to consider all of his options.
Jake Allen: The Unsung Hero — B+
Final Line: 37 GP | 17-17-2 | 2.74 GAA | .903 SV% | 1 SO
As the season developed, Allen became the more trustworthy goaltender for New Jersey.
Whereas Markstrom constantly looked unsettled in the crease, Allen had a certain poise to him that seemingly calmed the team that played in front of him. Make no doubt about it, the Devils certainly looked nervous whenever Markstrom had to do his job.
Sure, Allen had the occassional blunder. He’s not the best puck handler and that got him into some trouble once or twice this season.
However, you could argue Allen was perhaps trying to do a bit too much with the understanding that New Jersey was underperforming in front of him and he was trying to be a difference maker.
If only Allen didn’t have the cramping issue that prevents him from taking the bulk of starts. Allen—who is on the books for the next four seasons in New Jersey—undoubtedly made himself the more reliable goaltender for the Devils.
In fact, Allen is essentially going to be the mentor for Yegorov and/or Malek whenever one of them arrive at the varsity level.
What Comes Next
A healthy portion of the 2025-26 disappointment is on Markstrom.
That leaves Mehta in a difficult position. Markstrom’s contract is going to be extremely difficult to move and betting on improvement going into his age-36 season seems like an unlikely bet.
Clearly, Mehta knows they need to be better between the pipes hence Rogalski’s dismissal.
So, one of three things can happen here. Markstrom remains and they hope he can bounce back after a strong offseason with a new voice coaching the crease. Or, Mehta somehow finds a way to move the contract.
And if he’s not comfortanle banking on the Devils’ success with Markstrom in goal next season without being able to find a buyer, Mehta will have to decide if he wants to buy Markstrom out of the two year extension that begins on July 1st.
We know Allen will be back next season, but what will the other half of the tandem look like?
