The New Jersey Devils‘ goalie tandem is staying in tact for at least one more year.
The Devils re-upped veteran Jake Allen to a five-year contract with an annual-average value of $1.8 million, which took the free agent to be off the market mere minutes before he was set to become available.
Allen went 13-16-1 with four shutouts and a .906 save percentage and 2.66 goals-against average in 31 games in 2024-25. He is 208-184-43 in 12 seasons with the Devils, St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens.
Why Did The Devils Sign Jake Allen To A Five-Year Contract?
The 34-year-old is a bit old to be getting a five-year contract, but locking him down is an important move for New Jersey.
Allen was effectively the No. 1A starter behind Jacob Markstrom during the regular season, a role in which he played well. He and Markstrom may split time again in 2025-26, which New Jersey hopes will keep Markstrom fresh for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But locking down a backup/1A goalie is big because Markstrom is set to enter the final year of his contract. The 35-year-old battled injuries and inconsistency while playing 49 games and posting just a .900 save percentage, despite going 26-16-6.
Until it re-signed Allen, New Jersey did not have a goalie under contract in 2026-27. Although it could opt to lock in Markstrom, locking in Allen at a very-reasonable cap hit means New Jersey will still have ample space and flexibility while knowing it will have decent goaltending beyond this year.
What Other Moves Did The Devils Make On Tuesday?
The Devils were not projected to be super active in free agency, but they did add gritty forward Connor Brown to a four-year contract worth $3 million per year.
Brown previously played for the Edmonton Oilers, where he posted 15 points in 39 Stanley Cup playoff games over the past two seasons and helped them reach the Cup final in consecutive years.
Brown also had 13 goals and 30 points in 82 regular-season games with Edmonton this season.
Though Brown is more of a depth forward, he can also score goals, since he has topped 20 in a single season twice. Brown, who will effectively take Erik Haula’s slot after he was dealt to Nashville last week, has 107 goals in 601 NHL games with the Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs.
What Moves Can The Devils Make?
With the salary cap climbing to $95.5 million this season, the Devils still have about $10 million in cap space to fill out their roster.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald’s biggest in-house move still left to make will be to sign restricted free agent Luke Hughes. The No. 4 pick of the 2021 draft had 44 points in 71 games last season and has 91 points in 153 games over the past two seasons.
The Devils will need to add more depth aside from Brown, since Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian is each expected to depart in free agency.
New Jersey has also been linked to Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, who is the brother of Luke and fellow Devils superstar Jack Hughes. Fitzgerald could opt to take a swing and acquire Quinn and the two remaining years on his contract, to link the three brothers up as well.
The Devils have the cap space to sign Luke and acquire Quinn at his $7.85 million hit, even though it would likely cost them at least center Dawson Mercer and potentially 21-year-old defenseman Simon Nemec. But Quinn is a two-time Norris Trophy finalist and won the award for best NHL defenseman in 2024.
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