Is it a Devils goalie problem, or a problem in front of the goalies? And is Connor Hellebuyck the fix?Keith Kavanaugh of PuckPedia and The Devils Edge joins James Nichols on Devils Rink Report to sort it out.
The New Jersey Devils are 4-4-0 and have outshot every opponent so far, 280-200, while Jake Allen (.876) and Nico Daws (.857) have struggled in net. Keith walks through the goals against in Washington, explains why Rémi Poirier isn't getting a look, and says why he doesn't see Sunny Mehta's front office spending big in goal, in cap space or in trade assets, with the Devils at $77,077 in cap space and Hellebuyck's suspension ending Fri Oct 23.
James and Keith also get into the Devils' missing second layer of offense, the power play, Connor Brown's return and the roster crunch at 23, and whether Sheldon Keefe's seat is warming up eight games in.
Then James goes solo: a Devils vs. Colorado Avalanche preview (Tue Oct 20, 7 PM ET, Prudential Center), Elliotte Friedman's report on Brenden Dillon's no-trade clause, the Utica Comets' start, Timo Meier's first goal, and Arseny Gritsyuk's fit with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.
0:00 Keith Kavanaugh joins Devils Rink Report
0:52 Devils goalie problem or defense problem?
8:51 Why Rémi Poirier isn't playing
12:26 Connor Hellebuyck: can the Devils afford him?
15:01 A Hellebuyck trade package for Winnipeg?
17:02 Outshooting everyone, still .500
21:00 The missing second layer of offense
22:29 Connor Brown's return and the roster crunch
25:17 Is Sheldon Keefe on the hot seat?
30:23 Avalanche preview: MacKinnon, Makar, Wedgewood
33:58 Friedman report: Brenden Dillon's no-trade
38:52 Utica Comets and prospect update
40:44 Timo Meier, Gritsyuk and the Devils blue line