Jake Allen wanted to remain a New Jersey Devil.
Entering NHL Free Agency, the 34-year-old was a pending unrestricted free agent who was considered the best available goaltender. As it turned out, he wasn't available as the Devils re-signed him ahead of the official start of free agency.
"It is exciting to have Jake back and his family back in New Jersey, where they wanted to be and where we wanted them," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "I give Jake and Shannon a lot of credit for helping us through this process, cap-wise. It just shows you that we are building something here where people want to stay. It says a lot about Jake and his family, and we are just so excited to bring him back."
With Jacob Markstrom under contract for one more year, New Jersey will run it back with its veteran tandem, which was one of the best in the league in the 2024-25 season.
Of course, after signing Allen to a five-year, $9 million contract with an average annual value of $1.8 million, one question remains: What is the long-term plan for Nico Daws?
On Wednesday, The Hockey News posed that exact question to Fitzgerald.
"You see how often goalies are going down," he explained. "Having depth in the net is crucial. Nico is a guy, he played what, five, six games last year? Definitely played too early in his career, but out of necessity. We really like Nico, but we feel like having this depth makes us a better team."
Daws is in his final year of a two-year contract he signed in July 2024. For the 2025-26 season, he is on a one-way deal at $850,000 at the NHL level. This past season, the 24-year-old started four games, earning a 3-1-0 record with a .939 save percentage and a 1.60 goals-against average.
There is one important caveat associated with Daws this upcoming season. He will require waivers to be assigned to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL). If the Devils need Daws' services at any point during the 2025-26 season, there is a risk that another NHL team could claim him and take on his contract.
With so many teams interested in adding a goaltender this summer, it is not hard to imagine Daws getting claimed by another franchise with that reasonable one-year price tag. If it comes to that, could the Devils make a trade this summer to ensure they get a return for their goaltender?
Days ago, New Jersey parted ways with Daws' friend and Comets goaltending partner Isaac Poulter. The organization did not extend a qualifying offer to the 23-year-old, and as an unrestricted free agent, he signed a contract with the Winnipeg Jets.
Daws' new partner is expected to be Jakub Malek, who will be transitioning his game to North America this fall. Fitzgerald confirmed that Malek would begin this chapter of his career in Utica and said he could even compete for the starting position, which most would expect to be held by Daws.
"I am very excited, because it will be something new for me," Malek told The Hockey News earlier this week. "It will be something that I have been waiting for for three years. I can't wait to play here."
Daws has been around long enough to see plenty of goaltenders arrive and depart from Newark, including Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, and Kaapo Kahkonen. His philosophy has always been to keep his head down and keep working until he is told otherwise, and it appears that will continue when training camp opens in mid-September.
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