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Goaltender Report Cards From Chris Shaleesh |
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Jacob Markstrom: B+
When healthy Markstrom was as advertised. A game changing goaltender with the penchant for miraculous stops. It took time for Marky to regain his form after a late January MCL sprain. With a shaky return in March, Markstrom was back to being a force between the pipes in April and throughout the playoffs. If Markstrom plays anywhere near this level in 25-26’ the Devils will find themselves sitting pretty in the Metro Division.
Jake Allen: C
While Allen had some impressive numbers this past season, his play at many key times was not impressive at all. Jake struggled with rebound control for a large stretch of the season. He often surrendered early and or multiple quick goals in games, deflating the Devils in front of him. The veteran net-minder’s inability to secure wins during a 15 game stretch was a big reason NJ could never fully separate themselves from the wild card crew beneath. Allen went 4-11 over 15 games from late November to mid January, including a 6 game losing streak in that time. While some want to blame lack of goal support and or the defense in front of him, eventually a goaltender needs to be an X-factor and stop a losing streak. Allen did not do that. Spectacular XGA and highlight reel saves, sandwiched between poor stick handling decisions and bobbled pucks leading to juicy rebounds is not what the Devils need in their second goaltender. While many teams will be interested to buy on the UFA this offseason, the Devils should simply say “bye”.
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