Blackwood/Vanecek/We Really Need to Move On/Goalie Thread

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

It's worth noting that 2014 looks like 'peak goalie' in the NHL. That said, I would be very surprised if Bernier ever plays again, but there's a lot more room in the NHL for him than there would've been 8 years ago.

That's why I think if Blackwood is able to be at least a competent backup the rest of the year, he will have trade value at the end of it. One year Blackwood qualifier (or possibly agree to 2-3 years) instead of having to sign a UFA goalie to a 5 year term deal like Campbell/Kuemper were able to get last offseason is attractive.

 

[Triumph]

That's why I think if Blackwood is able to be at least a competent backup the rest of the year, he will have trade value at the end of it. One year Blackwood qualifier (or possibly agree to 2-3 years) instead of having to sign a UFA goalie to a 5 year term deal like Campbell/Kuemper were able to get last offseason is attractive.

No, that ship sailed. Blackwood has just missed too much time with injury. Maybe, maybe, somehow, the Devils could get a tiny draft pick for this, but it would take Blackwood really playing well and staying healthy, two things that I think are impossible.

 

[Bleedred]

That's why I think if Blackwood is able to be at least a competent backup the rest of the year, he will have trade value at the end of it. One year Blackwood qualifier (or possibly agree to 2-3 years) instead of having to sign a UFA goalie to a 5 year term deal like Campbell/Kuemper were able to get last offseason is attractive.

No.... Just no.

We've run out of time for this. There's not enough racetrack left to qualify Blackwood for even one year, let alone 2-3 years.

That would be a mortal mistake at 2-3 years, If it was 3 years then we'd basically be signing Blackwood to an even larger deal than his current deal (at least in AAV) which he has massively disappointed and hasn't performed.

We're better off going into next season with Vanecek, who is signed the next two years at $3.4 million, and Schmid/Daws or even rotating both back and forth. I'm confident at least one of them will be no worse than Blackwood and they would come $2-$3 million cheaper per year. We can better allocate that money elsewhere.

You can have Blackwood for $3-$4 million for a year to put up .900% goaltending or you can have Schmid/Daws for $1 million a year putting up .895%-.900% goaltending (hopefully better though), which one are you taking?

If all the options suck then go cheap.

Who says if Blackwood goes that we need to sign another goalie for a deal like Campbell or Kuemper got? We have Vanecek the next two years for considerably cheaper than what those goalies got per year.

 

[NJDevs26]

The Devils are not 'Matvichuking' Bernier, not with one goalie already injured and plenty of room to switch him and Palat on LTIR. I also believe Mativchuk was practicing with the team weeks before he was finally dressed for a game.

They have cap room for Bernier, sure…it’s roster room they lack once Blackwood returns. When and where would Bernier play when you have Vanecek, Blackwood and a perfectly capable third option now? There’s not even a reason to play him now over Schmid even before Blackwood comes back.

 

[Triumph]

They have cap room for Bernier, sure…it’s roster room they lack once Blackwood returns. When and where would Bernier play when you have Vanecek, Blackwood and a perfectly capable third option now? There’s not even a reason to play him now over Schmid even before Blackwood comes back.

He would play in the AHL, or Blackwood would play there. The point is that Bernier came with the team on the West Coast trip and then stopped practicing with the team. Blackwood got hurt four weeks ago on that same trip. It doesn't make any sense to put your other goalie on Robidas Island when you only have 3 healthy goalies signed to NHL contracts.

FWIW, I am far from declaring Schmid 'a perfectly capable third option'. He's played excellent, no question.

 

[NJDevs26]

He would play in the AHL, or Blackwood would play there. The point is that Bernier came with the team on the West Coast trip and then stopped practicing with the team. Blackwood got hurt four weeks ago on that same trip. It doesn't make any sense to put your other goalie on Robidas Island when you only have 3 healthy goalies signed to NHL contracts.

FWIW, I am far from declaring Schmid 'a perfectly capable third option'. He's played excellent, no question.

And take away time from Daws and Schmid? It’s hard to find time for five goalies on two teams, especially when you have two decent younger prospects, a guy who was just second star for the month in the NHL and another guy the Devils still think should be a 1A in the NHL

 

[Bleedred]

Ryan Novozinsky posted about a month or so ago that Bernier personally told him he re-injured himself in training camp and wasn’t sure of the timeline at that point.

I don’t believe the team ever made a statement on it though.

 

[NJDevs26]

Ryan Novozinsky posted about a month or so ago that Bernier personally told him he re-injured himself in training camp and wasn’t sure of the timeline at that point.

I don’t believe the team ever made a statement on it though.

Yeah if I had to get I’d say he’s just more fragile than Blackwood at this point and not that there’s hanky panky going on, but the on again, off again ramp up is just weird…a bit Ben Simmons esque from last year for the NBA fans who get that reference.

 

[Triumph]

And take away time from Daws and Schmid? It’s hard to find time for five goalies on two teams, especially when you have two decent younger prospects, a guy who was just second star for the month in the NHL and another guy the Devils still think should be a 1A in the NHL

Daws and Schmid aren't both there now, are they? Again, this is a team that went through 7 goalies last year, the idea that they are somehow putting one guy out to pasture because they think they've got goaltending settled is mental. What if Vanecek got hurt?

Odds are that all five goalies would never be healthy. Worst case scenario Blackwood gets fobbed off somewhere else and the Devils pick up a lot of his salary.

 

[Guttersniped]

f*** him.

At least we’ve built up enough of a cushion that this worthless shit bag won’t hurt us too much when he inevitably flushed a few points down the toilet.

He better not play against Florida on the 21st or I’ll be bronx cheering.

I have to say if you go to the Panthers game and Blackwood is the Devils starter you would feel like you were in a Black Mirror episode at that point. Blackwood finally managed to get healthy for that game, just for you buddy!

If he won it in some, uh, goalie duel with Bob it would be kind of funny… (C’mon admit it! These are dark times anyway…)

 

[Guttersniped]

Ryan Novozinsky posted about a month or so ago that Bernier personally told him he re-injured himself in training camp and wasn’t sure of the timeline at that point.

I don’t believe the team ever made a statement on it though.

And I hate taking it out of context but the quote Ryan had from Fitz about Bernier made it sound like his setback put him in a hospice.

I guess that was a while ago but I’m not optimistic about him showing up any time soon.

 

[My3Sons]

And I hate taking it out of context but the quote Ryan had from Fitz about Bernier made it sound like his setback put him in a hospice.

I guess that was a while ago but I’m not optimistic about him showing up any time soon.

My cynical guess is that Bernier has no intention of returning any time before the barest minimum of opportunity to play a small number of games towards the end of the season to hopefully fool some team j to another contract. Alternatively if he aggravated his injury badly enough NJ may have just told him to go home and rehab on his own with no expectation of him returning. It’s a shame. 34-35 is a young person in the schem of things and he already has a surgically repaired hip.

 

[britdevil]

Too lazy to look it up but.......

*Inserts picture of skeleton in lawn chair with a sign that reads Devils fan waiting for Blackwood to bounce back*.

I got you fam

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

another reminder that Blackwood should be sent to Siberia

 

[DerekDevils30]

Do we have something in Schmid? Dude is in the zone.

 

[Classic Devil]

Do we have something in Schmid? Dude is in the zone.

I've long thought he was an excellent prospect. I'd be cautious, because goalies are the most volatile players from season to season, so it's really hard to say... but what he's doing right now is really promising.

 

[DerekDevils30]

I've long thought he was an excellent prospect. I'd be cautious, because goalies are the most volatile players from season to season, so it's really hard to say... but what he's doing right now is really promising.

Looking forward to his next start. He will get one of the Rangers or Stars next week Monday/Tuesday.

 

[FooteBahl]

another reminder that Blackwood should be sent to Siberia

I forgot where Shero told Zacha he could go to, but that’s where MBW should go lol

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I forgot where Shero told Zacha he could go to, but that’s where MBW should go lol

f***ing Brampton lmao

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

It's Vanecek/Schmid and if you're possibly scared of Schmid in the playoffs, you go out and get a veteran backup for cheap at the deadline. Blackwood shouldn't start for this franchise ever again after the last year and an half.

 

[mj2sexay]

Schmid stood on his head tonight.

 

[FooteBahl]

f***ing Brampton lmao

Thank you! That was it!!!

 

[Bleedred]

At the very least this should at least be the end of both Blackwood being the 1b here and coming back next year. There's no need to pay him his qualifying offer when he sucks and leaving us short to spend because we had to go pay a million dollar a year goalie $3-$4 million just because we have team control for one more year.

Do what the Caps did with Samsonov and let someone else sign him for $1.5 for a year or some shit.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Goalies are unpredictable. Hard to judge and predict how they’re gonna do. I think you gotta ride the hot hand when you can. Schmid has played well. Who knows if that lasts but I certainly feel more comfortable with him at this point than Blackwood. Seems dumb to hold onto a goalie who has struggled a lot more than he’s thrived since being in the league and can’t even seem to stay healthy. If there’s a trade to be made, wouldn't be a bad idea but we can probably also drag this out by taking our time with Blackwood and then doing a conditioning stint.

 

[Bleedred]

I really expect things to get ugly for Blackwood if he gets put in a game and starts struggling out there if it's a home game.

Like seriously, I can already hear chants of ''VITEK! VITEK! VITEK! VITEK!'' if he gets a game at home and starts giving up a lot of goals or weak goals.

The fanbase was really quick with the Fire Lindy chants on opening night, booing Blackwood on opening night and Bronx cheering him for making a save in that game against Washington, which was the last time he played a game at home.

I don't think the fanbase is gonna take kindly to this guy FLUSHING points and giving away goals to the opposition with how much this team is rolling right now.

Especially when both Vanecek and Schmid have been really killing it out there.

Goalie is the most important position and Blackwood is one of the very worst players at that position over the last 2 years. He's still getting a lot of mileage out of a hot streak that was really no more impressive than Vitek's current stretch, although it did go on just a bit longer and it was behind a worse team.

And not for nothing, But Schmid's 5 games this year have been just as good as Blackwood's first 5 games to start the 20-21 season before his current 62 game run of .892% started.

Now, you could argue that's all the more reason to pump the brakes on Schmid, which is definitely fair and Schmid has played weaker opponents and has done all this sporadically coming off the bench once per week, but Blackwood's rope really should be DONE. Cut the motherf***in rope at this point.

The fact that he started opening night after Vitek outplayed him in the preseason and he STUNK last year was a JOKE. The fact that he was still getting starts in random games and the 1b before injury was a JOKE.