Well, it looks like Jacob Markstrom’s return to the New Jersey Devils is imminent. He’s back on the ice and practiced with the club on Saturday, which means Nico Daws’ return to the AHL is coming soon.
The good news is, the 24-year-old netminder won’t need waivers. So, for now, he’s safe from being plucked away from the organization.
However, if he is to return to the NHL, and fulfills 30 days in the NHL, or 10 games played, the need to put Daws on waivers will kick in.
The Devils are hoping both Markstrom and Jake Allen can sustain their respective bodies of work for the rest of the season, but after Daws’ stellar performance against the Minnesota Wild last week, he appears NHL-ready.
So, what’s the level of interest in Daws should he require waivers later in the season, or perhaps even by trade?
On the pilot episode of Devils Rink Report with James Nichols, The Fourth Period’s insider, David Pagnotta, revealed what he’s heard about the level of interest in Daws.
“I think a lot of teams have solidified themselves with their goaltending both in the NHL and in the AHL,” Pagnotta said. “Barring injuries, or unless the wheels completely fall off [somewhere], [a team] may look at Daws as a potential target later on.”
On Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks connected on an in-season trade, sending Lukas Reichel north of the border.
It’s certainly not the same situation, as the young winger was seeking a fresh start, and the Blackhawks happily obliged. However, if teams knew they would have to pay at least a little for Reichel, then you can expect the compensation to be greater for Daws, as a player whose position is in higher demand, and the Devils don’t want to fork him over.
“This is also calculated on New Jersey’s side as well. You don’t want to expose a player that’s generating interest, because you may lose them for nothing,” Pagnotta explained. “Like Lukas Reichel. [The Blackhawks] didn’t want to waive him. They didn’t want to trade him for nothing because they knew they could get at least a piece back for him. Different circumstance, because I think the Devils would like to hold onto Daws within the organization. But, you have to do your due diligence on all sides of the spectrum. I think from the Devils perspective right now, if this becomes an issue later on in the season, they’ll re-evaluate to see where the league and other teams are at. There have been other goaltenders available as well, I don’t get the sense that it’s a major issue, or an eyebrow raiser right now for the club.”
In fact, Pagnotta went as far as to say he believes there are teams who face tougher decisions with their goaltending, such as the Vegas Golden Knights and an ex-Devils netminder.
“I think a team like Vegas might be in a little bit more of a situation depending on what happens with Adin Hill and once Carter Hart is ready to join the club. Akira Schmidt has been great so far for the Golden Knights, they may be forced to carry three goaltenders on the roster because of the Hart addition.”
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