Colorado Avalanche Could Solve Goalie Woes with a Trade

SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 6: Fellow Goaltenders Philipp Grubauer #31 and Semyon Varlamov #1 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrate their 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on December 6, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 6: Fellow Goaltenders Philipp Grubauer #31 and Semyon Varlamov #1 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrate their 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on December 6, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 18: Keith Kinkaid #1 of the New Jersey Devils skates against the Colorado Avalanche at the Prudential Center on October 18, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. The Avalanche defeated the Devils 5-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Keith Kinkaid

Age: 29
Current Team: New Jersey Devils
Current Stats: 3.12 GAA, 0.898 save percentage in 36 games
All-Time Stats: 2.82 GAA , .909 % in 146 games

Unfairly, the New Jersey Devils are deep in the goalie pool. Indeed, I’m going to consider three from their depth. The first is the man they have suiting up as backup to their prized Cory Schneider, Keith Kinkaid.

He’s scouted as a solid backup goalie who moves well laterally and mirrors shooters well. He can get out of position, but he’s a big goalie (6-foot-3, 195 pounds), so he takes up a lot of the net front.

Kinkaid will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Because of his contract status, I wouldn’t trade Grubauer for him. Because he’s younger than Varlamov and currently putting up better numbers, I’d throw in as high as a fifth-rounder for him in addition to Varly.