The New Jersey Devils need a goalie. With Vitek Vanecek not only having his worst season ever but now being on injured reserve, the Devils have been forced to play Nico Daws seven games in a row. Their choice is to play either Akira Schmid, who has gotten worse as the season goes, or Isaac Poulter, who just signed his first NHL deal a few weeks ago. It’s not a great place to be.
A saving grace could come in a trade. Many are pushing for a Jacob Markstrom deal, and others are hoping to go for the biggest piece in Juuse Saros. The Devils definitely need a goalie for the future, and Saros and Markstrom help them now and have term on their contracts. It would be great to bring them in, but the price is going to be insane. We’re talking Dawson Mercer or Simon Nemec going the other way insane.
Where the Devils are in the standings, a major move seems improbable. They just haven’t proven in the past few weeks that a goalie would change this team from a tweener to a contender. Earlier in the season, these deals might have made sense. The Devils were playing better in other aspects of their game, and they had more time to win games.
At this point, the Devils should look for a stopgap. We’re not talking about like when the Devils got Andrew Hammond in 2022. They need to get a player who’s at least somewhat good. Many have brought up players like the Sharks Kaapo Kahkonen and the Predators Kevin Lankinen. Those players might work, but there’s one that actually fits even better.
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The Seattle Kraken’s Chris Driedger has been stuck in the AHL this season because of the rise of Joey Daccord and the contract of Philipp Grubauer. The Kraken are trying to get back into the playoffs this season, and Daccord is their best shot. That has Driedger stuck playing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
He’s been really good in the AHL, posting a .915 save percentage. What’s really great is he’s had two callups to the NHL and he’s been just fine. He had one great effort against the Calgary Flames in December, stopping 37 of 38 shots. In his return to the NHL in January, he had a poor effort against the Rangers, allowing four goals on 22 shots against. Still, it averages out to a .917 save percentage.
On top of all this, Driedger is on the final year of his contract. The Devils could get him for the stretch run to circumvent Nico Daws and Vanecek when he returns. He might even usurp Vanecek, allowing the Devils to either send him to the AHL or make him a third option that doesn’t dress on a nightly basis. It makes a lot of sense if the Devils want to wait until the offseason to go for the big fish.
OAKLYN, N.J. (WPVI) — A Camden County auto shop owner says masked thieves stole three of their most expensive vehicles during an early morning break-in Saturday.
The incident happened just after 6:20 a.m. at Saifo Auto Sales in Oaklyn.
Surveillance video shows several masked suspects arriving in what appears to be a newer gray BMW, reversing into the lot, and using a bolt cutter to break into the building.
Owner Tarek Saifo said the suspects appeared to act with precision.
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“It didn’t seem like a coincidental theft; it seemed like someone who knew exactly where they were going. They knew what time to go,” said Saifo.
Saifo said three vehicles were taken: a 2020 BMW 4030, a white 2014 BMW 615, and a 2013 Infiniti M37. He said the thieves also took tools and a TV, but left behind the receiver that contained the shop’s surveillance footage.
Saifo says it will cost him about $34,000, and added that the suspects appeared to know where the vehicles’ keys were kept.
The business has only been operating for three months in Oaklyn. Previously, they were in Delran for four years. Saifo said its location along a busy highway may have made it an easy target.
“We got a security system installed, put bars on the windows and we’re just trying to make sure this never happens again,” he said.
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Saifo said the financial impact is significant, noting the business does not have theft insurance.
“It’s just hard as a small business trying to recover from this. It’s going to take us years if we ever will,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer, New York/New Jersey World Cup Host Committee
Alex Lasry will play a key role in shaping the World Cup experience for fans attending matches in the country’s largest market, including the final at MetLife Stadium. Since joining the organization early last year, Lasry and CBO Fred Mangione have aggressively pursued revenue through the sale of Host City Supporters packages while developing fan activations at Rockefeller Center and the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. New Jersey’s decision to scrap the official FIFA Fan Festival at Liberty State Park has forced last-minute changes that are still taking shape.
