Highly doubt it, it'll probably be Daws again and Poulter gets the Habs
It likely won't really matter. The 22-yr-old kid has played 37 games in 2 years as an AHL backup/injury replacement. He played this season as the back up for both Schmid and Daws whenever they have been here. He was the better of Schmid when he came down this last time because Akira was a mess. Akira got 12 starts and Issac only 7. Isaac won 6 of his 7 and Schmid went 3-5-4.
When Daws returned to action this season he was immediately called up o NJ on 12/1. He was back in Utica on 12/8 and won the game that night won 4-1. Poulter won the next game 3-1.
Then Dineen started Kallgren and he was injured after 6:50. Poulter relived the rest of the way and the Comets won 4-1 on 12/10.
Daws played the next one on 12/15 and lost 4-1. Poulter followed the loss with 2-0 shutout of Syracuseon 12/16.
Daws was recalled on 12/17 and returned on 12/19. He lost the Comets next game on 12/23 3-2.
Nico was recalle on 12/27 and has not returned. Daws got the 1st statr upon his arrival and always got the next game up if he was in town. Poulter was undestandably #2, but he was 3-0 in his games when Daws was here.
There has been something about a young goalie's response to a call-up to NJ. In the course of 3 seasons Schmid has been called up and had some good games but it ever lasted. The same was true for Daws in his 1st season so much that NJ never even gave him look in season 2. Lindy ran him out there night after night in his 3rd season, a season that didn't start until December after major hip surgery and no training camp, as long as he played lights out. He had a down time and it was Vitek night after night again. Now it's been Nico in a ridiculous amount of games in a short span because he played well. He is fagged out so let's run out the next kid.
The pressure put upon these guys to win on a team expected to excel in the NHL hierarchy has been incredible and they have both broken and returned to Utica only to see it continue.
Poulter, undrafted, has proven himself to be a worthy AHL keeper in his short AHL career. He has impressed and I have been his biggest backer. I was happy for him when NJ announced his signing. A 2-yr contract that in reality is only a 1-yr since this season is 2 mo.s from being over. It appears to be another of TF's stop gap efforts to keep his free falling Devils from missing the playoffs without losing any of his core in a trade.
Isaac went out on the ice in Utica knowing he was going to sign an NHL contract the next morning and was a nervous wreck. He pitched his worst effort of the season surrendering 4 goals on 15 shots and receiving an early exit 3:43 into the 2nd period in a 6-2 loss to the Rochester Americans.
It was obvious in warmups that he was not right and the game proved it to be such. His next game he was back to his normal self.
So, instead of letting him take over the #1 AHL role, at least for this season, and then let camp next year sort out his place on the NJ ladder, he gets promoted exactly 1 week later. I believe the only reason for the signing is that NJ had no one to trust beyond Daws and thus, sign the kid down there and let's see if he and Daws can handle the rest of the season so we don't have to make a ridiculous deal costing us pieces of the core.
If this kid doesn't stand on hjs head and cause the fan base do wet their shorts, he will be lambasted like all the rest. I don't think he is NHL ready at this point. I hope I'm wrong. I also, as Bleed Red would say, doesn't get infected by Rogalski. He has been the coach for both Daws and Schmid as well a Vitek and the rest of the keepers passing through on the assembly line since the '20-21 season. That hasn't been a pretty picture by any means and he has to be looked at as part of the issue..
I wish Isaac the very best and hope he is an answer, but I would not expect it to be so. I have several crows who visit my woods out back and raid our bird feeders daily and I would gladly eat one of them if I'm not exactly correct. I hope my thoughts are purely paranoia constructed by my own mind.
Go Daws and Poulter. Be an answer of some positive note.
