New Jersey Devils News

That means bubble players such as Shawn Matthias, Evgeny Dadonov are safe for now.

The Chelyabinsk, Russia has surprised since coming to North America and could have solidified his role with the big club. Last season he managed to score eight goals and 17 points through 36 games, showing signs of a breakout campaign. While he should start the season on the third line, expect him to see valuable offensive minutes down the road.

Evgenii Dadonov
“I don’t know that mind-set,’’ said Markstrom, a former junior star for his country’s national teams in Sweden. “I want to play every game. You need to have that mind-set. You can’t be happy to sit on the bench. I’ll see what happens. This is a good team, a good league and [we have] good goalies in this organization.

Markstrom clearly wants to grasp the starting goalie position sooner rather than later. Last season he finished with a 16-20-1 record over 37 games played, sporting a 2.98 GAA and .907 SV%. He played in one game last season with the Panthers, allowing two goals over 40 minutes. He remains one of the team's top prospects so keep him high up on your sleeper lists.

Jacob Markstrom
As I wrote the other night, Plante’s rough night against the Stars on Tuesday made the decision easier which goalie will back up Theodore when the season starts. Plante, who played well against Nashville, was placed in a difficult situation, coming in cold, and his defense didn’t help much. However, Markstrom pitched a shutout while Plante gave up four goals.

The team's top prospect will get his first real chance at the starting goalie job by backing up Jose Theodore. While he remains one of the premier goaltending prospects in hockey, the former 31st over pick struggled with injuries and inconsistency in the AHL last season. Should he prove himself at the NHL level, look for the younger Markstrom to supplant Theodore before the end of the season.

Jacob Markstrom