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Devils may look to CH for goaltender

 Auteur: Manuel Sperandio-Lemay
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Devils may look to CH for goaltender

It’s been exactly one week since Kent Hughes was involved in the deal that sent Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Seeing the Montreal Canadiens involved in this transaction took everyone in the field hockey world by surprise, especially after learning that Jeff Petry was returning to Montreal in this trade.

No one had Petry’s return to the metropolis on their summer bingo card, let’s say.

Kent Hughes also acquired goaltender Casey DeSmith from Pittsburgh in this transaction.

This acquisition was also surprising considering that the CH already has two NHL goaltenders in Samuel Montembeault and Jake Allen.

Add to that the presence of Cayden Primeau.

In short, it’s hard to believe that the Tricolore will employ three NHL goaltenders this season.

We’re now on the verge of a deal for one of the CH’s goaltenders, probably involving Casey DeSmith given that Kent Hughes still hasn’t spoken to him.

Several teams in search of a goaltender will therefore be interested in the situation in front of the Tricolore net.

One of those teams is likely to be the New Jersey Devils.

Indeed, the New Jersey Devils could very well be looking at the CH goaltenders.

Why should they?

Well, because the Devils’ goal and plan is to leave their 23-year-old goaltender Akira Schmid in the AHL with the Utica Comets in order to give him as many games as possible.

The Devils would rather see Schmid play a lot of games than be the second goalie (or simply share games) in the NHL behind Vitek Vanecek.

It’s a great idea for young Schmid.

So, if Vanecek is the first NHL goalie and Schmid is the first LAH goalie, the Devils need an NHL backup goalie.

And that’s where the CH becomes an ideal dance partner for the Devils.

The Habs have too many goalies on hand and would clearly be open to a deal.

Obviously, Casey DeSmith is the first choice, as he’s the surplus man in Montreal and would be the Devils’ best option.

The 32-year-old would be a solid option as a second goalie for the Devils, and he clearly wouldn’t cost too much.

I don’t think Hughes would ask for more than a mid-round draft pick.

Plus, for the Devils, the fact that DeSmith has only one year left on his contract is an ideal situation.

At $1.8 million for one season, the Devils could have the perfect auxiliary before allowing Akira Schmid to move up to the NHL for good in 2024-2025.

New Jersey could also be interested in 33-year-old Jake Allen, but his two-year contract worth $3.85 million a year could turn the Devils off.

In short, a DeSmith to New Jersey deal makes a lot of sense under the current circumstances.

Both teams would get what they want.

Nor should we rule out the possibility of the Devils waiting until the start of the season, when the CH will most likely send Cayden Primeau to the ballot to claim him for free and give him his chance as an NHL auxiliary.

We’ll keep you posted.


In a gust

– Unbelievable.

– Neymar is closing in on Saudi Arabia.

– That would obviously come with a crazy salary.

– Coming up.

– What a great goal!

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