It should be a season of opportunity for the New Jersey Devils. If it’s going to be, they’ll have to navigate the opening portion of it without their #1 goaltender, Jacob Markstrom. It was announced today that he will miss a couple weeks with a lower-body injury.
Markstrom hadn’t exactly started the season on fire. In two starts and one relief appearance, Markstrom had managed just a .845 save-percentage and a 3.89 goals-against average. The Devils are probably relieved that Markstrom’s injury is in his lower half rather than pulling a neck muscle looking behind him.
Once again, just like they had to do last season, the Devils will have to make do with Jake Allen and Nico Daws. Allen had to fill in for a good chunk in the second half last season, when Markstrom missed a month with an MCL sprain. That injury also cost him the chance to start for Sweden at The Four Nations, and Markstrom will be praying his injury habits of the past couple seasons don’t keep him from the Olympics in February.
Markstrom’s injury problems will only complicate what happens at the end of this season, as well. Markstrom is a free agent, and at 35, it’s almost certainly his last time to earn a big contract. Will that be from the Devils? Hard to say. Markstrom wasn’t the cure-all that the Devils had hoped he might be when they traded for him in the summer of 2024 from Calgary. Markstrom was fine last season, but the Devils needed more than “fine” to even throw a scare into the Hurricanes in the playoffs, which they most certainly didn’t.
Allen is about the most solid backup a team can sport, but he’s not built to backstop a genuine Cup contender. If Markstrom’s injury is only a couple weeks as stated, then things should be fine. If Allen is called into starter’s duty at another time for another stretch, things get iffier. Allen hasn’t been a plus-starter in about five seasons, settling into a role as a solid backup both in Montreal and in New Jersey.
The Devils have too much riding on this season to suffer through more wonky goaltending, which saw them slide out of the playoffs two seasons ago after announcing themselves on the scene the season before. The Metro Division has come up pretty soft. The Capitals are due for a deflation from last season, leaving Carolina on their own at the top and everyone beneath that scrambling for every other spot. The Devils only had to sweat a playoff spot last season because Jack Hughes missed the last two months. That shouldn’t be the case again in the spring, but shoddy work in the crease could put them there.
It’s been an injury-filled start for the Devils. Not only have they lost Markstrom, but defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic hasn’t suited up yet, and won’t for months. Stefan Noesen is also a long-term absentee. There was the drama about getting Luke Hughes signed right at the end of training camp. The Devils certainly haven’t gotten the full cast together quite yet.
The Devils have been the next thing for long enough that it’s time for them to be the current thing. They’ll have to overcome Markstrom’s injury to finally grab that status by the throat.
The Devils Will Have To Live Without Jacob Markstrom Again