With Allen's help, Daws 'ready to go' in crease for Devils

NEWARK, N.J. -- Nico Daws has spent five years trying to prove he belongs with the team that selected him in the third round (No. 84) of the 2020 NHL Draft.

Jake Allen has played in the NHL for 14 seasons, serving as a starter and a backup at different points throughout his career.  

Their journeys have taken two separate paths to the NHL, and those roads will converge this season when they hope to provide the New Jersey Devils with the goaltending needed to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Though Allen may start the season as the main man in net when the Devils play their opener at home against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+), Daws is hoping to grab that job -- and Allen will try to help him.

"This is my sixth year in the organization, and when you're a part of an NHL organization, that's what you're trying to do," Daws told NHL.com. "You always want more. You're always trying to get more, and you know it's never going to be handed to you.

"I felt like I've been fighting for five years, and now that there's a sliver of hope, I don't want to see it come and go."

That sliver appeared when the Devils traded Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers on July 2. New Jersey is expected to begin this season with 36-year-old Jake Allen as its starter and Daws as the backup. Remi Poirier, acquired off waivers from the Dallas Stars on Sept. 27, will serve as the No. 3 goalie.

First year general manager Sunny Mehta believes the organization has finally created a path for Daws, who has a 2.82 goals-against average, .899 save percentage and six shutouts in 142 career AHL games spanning five seasons.

"There's nothing more frustrating when you have prospects who develop and then they don't have a path in front of them," Mehta said. "He's got a path in front of him right now. It's going to be up to him to decide what to do with that opportunity, but the opportunity is there."

Daws will not have to navigate it alone.

Allen is well traveled in the NHL, playing 497 games with the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens and Devils. He has been with the Devils since being traded to New Jersey on March 8, 2024.  

He's expected to carry most of the workload, but he also has embraced the responsibility of helping Daws establish himself.

"I think he has super high-end potential in this League," Allen said. "He just needs a chance to go and to run, and I take pride in that."

Their relationship has developed despite circumstances that could have created tension. When Allen arrived in New Jersey, Daws was sent back to Utica. Allen recognized that Daws could have viewed him as the veteran standing in the way of his NHL opportunity.

Instead, Allen has become a mentor.

Daws regularly asks about Allen's preparation and experiences, even though their goaltending styles are different.

"He's an unbelievable person, and he's had success in this League for so many years," Daws said. "It's fun for me to pick his brain and ask him questions. Any kind of information I can pick up from him is awesome."

Allen believes the most important thing the Devils can provide Daws is a legitimate opportunity, allowing him to play through the inevitable difficult moments without fearing an immediate demotion.

"You can't come in and hold the stick tight and know that if you don't perform well one game, you're going to get sent back down," Allen said. "For him to be able to have a little bit of a runway, play his game and play with confidence, I think he's going to have a great career."

Daws believes he is better prepared to handle that runway because of his increased maturity.

"Things happen so fast in front of you," Daws said. "If you're thinking, you're toast. It's just keeping your focus on making the next save."

Utica coach Ryan Parent saw that growth last season. Even when the Comets struggled, Daws became better at separating his own responsibilities from what was happening in his end of the ice.

"He became a lot more mature the last few years," Parent said. "If something happened in front of him that wasn't something he could control, it didn't matter. He was still going to do his job well."

Martin Brodeur, the Devils executive vice president of hockey operations, believes the time has arrived for the Devils to determine exactly what they have in Daws.

"It's time for him," Brodeur said. "We've been developing him for four years now, and at one point we've got to know what he's got. I really believe he's ready to go."

Brodeur pointed to Daws' size (6-foot-4, 205 pounds), athleticism and previous NHL experience, including 55 games, as evidence that he can handle the next step. Coach Sheldon Keefe also noticed an increased sense of urgency from Daws at the start of on-ice sessions of training camp on Sept. 17.

"I thought Daws ... it was the best practice I've seen him have in my time here," Keefe said. "That shows me this is a determined guy that's focused and ready to take his opportunity."

Poirier could provide protection if the plan encounters trouble, but the season will begin with their faith placed primarily in Allen and Daws. The Devils also named Dan Stewart as goaltending coach on July 15. The 50-year-old spent the past six seasons with the Blues organization.

Daws must demonstrate that years of development have prepared him to become an NHL regular. Allen must prove he can handle an increased workload. He started 36 games for the Devils last season, the most since he started 41 for Montreal in 2022-23.

"If this makes any sense, I think I love the game more than I ever have," Allen said. "The appreciation for being in the League at this point in your career means a lot more to you than I think (it) did when I was 23, when I was starting.

"I feel like there's things where I can help (Daws) to try to blossom him into the goalie he can be because I think he has untapped potential."

After five years of chasing that opportunity, Daws understands what's at stake.

Now, he has to make certain his chance doesn't come and go.

"The pressure here is a lot different than in the American (Hockey) League, but that's what you're playing for," Daws said. "You want the pressure to be as high as possible because that means you're doing something right. At the end of the day, you got to go out there and save as many pucks coming your way as you can."