Devils latest to try 3-goalie system entering training camp

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com Fischler, also known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his insight and wit for readers each Wednesday. This week, he breaks down the New Jersey Devils' decision to carry three goalies into training camp.

Necessity is the mother of the "Three Goalie System."

That's why the New Jersey Devils are entering training camp with veterans Jake Allen and David Rittich, and an aspirant for the top job, Nico Daws, a 25-year-old who has started 50 NHL games and signed a two-year, $2.2 million contract ($1.1 million average annual value) on July 1.

Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey's starter the past two seasons, was traded to the Florida Panthers on June 30.

"The decision wasn't easy to move Markstrom," Devils general manager Sunny Mehta said. "In terms of the goaltending now, Nico Daws has been a pretty big prospect for us for years now and kind of really hasn't had the path to sort of develop, and for me, I think we're pretty excited about the potential opportunity in front of him. Obviously having said that, I think we would consider anything and everything as time goes on, we'll see, but for now, I guess I would answer that by just saying I'm really excited to see. 

"We know what Jake can bring. We've seen that outstanding guy, outstanding goaltender, and I'm pretty excited about the opportunity in front of Nico because he really hasn't been given that sort of runway in that path, and I think he has that now."

In traditional goaltending quarters, the three-goalies-on-a roster strategy is regarded as an invitation to trouble rather than a solution, but those in the Devils' camp who know the position best have endorsed the experiment.

"I like the three-goalie plan," Devils radio analyst Glenn "Chico" Resch, a goalie for the New York Islanders when they won the Stanley Cup in 1979-80, said in an email. "We're in a completely new NHL world and this (Devils) system may be leading the charge on the ice."

Likewise, said retired defenseman Ken Daneyko, an MSG Networks analyst and three-time Stanley Cup champion (1995, 2000, 2003) with New Jersey.

"It's a 'strike lightning in a bottle' kind of thing," Daneyko wrote, "and the hope is that someone emerges to be the No. 1 guy. Look at how (Carolina Hurricanes) third-stringer Brandon Bussi turned hero last season -- especially in the (Stanley Cup Playoffs) -- when Carolina won the Stanley Cup."

A virtual unknown until the Hurricanes claimed him off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Oct. 5, 2025, Bussi made his NHL debut Oct. 14, with Pyotr Kochetkov missing the start of the season because of a lower-body injury, and made 16 saves in a 5-1 victory against the San Jose Sharks. was sensational (31-6-2) during the regular season, when the rookie had a 2.47 goals-against average, .895 save percentage and two shutouts. Replacing Frederik Andersen in the Stanley Cup Final, Bussi went 3-1 with a 1.60 GAA, .931 save percentage and one shutout that contributed to the Cup triumph.

Once upon a time, it was enough to have just one goalie on an NHL roster, but that was before New York Rangers coach Frank Boucher found himself in 1945 with two who were of starter quality, Jim Henry and Chuck Rayner. For a short time, Boucher alternated them every five minutes during a game, but the experiment quickly was aborted.

"At first, keeping both first-rate goalies seemed like a good idea, but then I realized it had to be one or the other, so I traded Henry to the (Chicago) Black Hawks," Boucher wrote in his autobiography "When the Rangers Were Young."

Part of the trifecta challenge is keeping each goalie in mint condition with two awaiting assignment. 

"One goalie can get hot, while the other two get rusty," Sharks director of goaltending Evgeni Nabokov said in an email. "Then neither of the rested ones would be ready when called to play. A three-goalie system is a bit of a gamble."

A zany episode evolved when the Rangers hosted the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 13, 1968. Blues coach Scotty Bowman carried three goalies at the time.

Future Hockey Hall of Famers Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante, and untried rookie Robbie Irons, were dressed. Before the game, Plante convinced a reluctant Hall, who never had worn a mask, to try the face gear against New York.

Hall, who holds the NHL record for a goalie with 502 consecutive complete games played, gave up a goal to Vic Hadfield 1:16 into the first period. With only two minutes gone, an obviously irritable Hall was given a game misconduct and ejected for arguing with referee Vern Buffey. 

"I had the kid Irons as my backup, but I wanted Plante in for Hall," Bowman said in an email. "Trouble was that Plante was in the press box having a hot dog. That's when my defenseman, Doug Harvey, cooked up a plan to limit Irons' ice time so that we could get Jacques quick suited up and into the crease."

"When I got to warm up, Harvey told me to waste a little time," Irons later revealed, "so I got down on one knee as if I had an injury."

The stall worked since Irons played only 2:59, made one save and allowed no goals until Plante replaced him.

"It was bizarre, but Plante came in, shut out New York and we won the game, 3-1," Bowman said. "As for Robbie, he never played another minute in the NHL but had a Hall of Fame career as a minor leaguer in IHL Fort Wayne."

Thus ended the Blues' experiment, but not without a laugh from Hall. 

"It proved," he quipped, "that every time I wore a mask, I got thrown out of a game."  

Allen isn't one to joke about his involvement in the Devils' experiment. 

"As long as there are clear lines of communications and understanding where everyone stands, that's the biggest thing," he told the "Daily Faceoff" podcast July 29.

Only time -- and wins -- will tell whether the Devils strike gold.

NHL.com senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale contributed to this report