Daws posted a 9-11-0 record with a 3.15 GAA and an .894 save percentage in 21 appearances with New Jersey during the 2023-24 regular season. He could be back with the Devils if Jacob Markstrom or Jake Allen suffer injuries in 2024-25.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Pens two-year deal
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Daws inked a two-year contract with New Jersey on Tuesday.
Daws' contract is a two-way deal in year one before it converts to a one-way in the second season. It's an unsurprising clause when you consider the team has both Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen under contract for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign. Look for Daws to spend nearly the entire season in the minors with AHL Utica -- unless Markstrom or Allen picks up an injury at some point.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Headed for minors
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Daws was reassigned to AHL Utica on Monday.
Daws managed just one win in his last five outings, posting a 1-3-0 record and 2.88 GAA. With new additions Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen available, Daws was the odd man out and figures to spend the remainder of the campaign in the minors, barring an injury to one of the aforementioned backstops.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Perfect in relief
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Daws stopped all 16 shots he faced in relief of Kaapo Kahkonen in a 4-1 loss to Arizona on Saturday.
The Devils brought Kahkonen in at the deadline, but the former Shark has lost 11 straight games and is 1-17-3 in his last 21 decisions. Although Daws was sharp Saturday, he won't get a load of time with Kahkonen and Jake Allen now in town.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Takes tough loss Saturday
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Daws turned aside 22 of 24 shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes. Carolina's final two goals were scored into an empty net.
The Devils brought in two veteran goalies at the trade deadline in Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen, but neither one was available for the team Saturday, so Daws wound up getting at least one more NHL start this season. Although the 23-year-old played well, he had little chance on either puck that beat him -- one was a bullet through traffic from Martin Necas, and the other was an impossible shot from the corner by Jesperi Kotkaniemi that pinballed off the far post and the netminder's back before falling on the wrong side of the goal line. Daws can be sent down to AHL Utica without being lost on waivers, and that's likely to be his fate once Allen and Kahkonen have reported.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Between pipes Saturday
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Daws will defend the home crease versus Carolina on Saturday, according to Mike Morreale of NHL.com.
This could be Daws' final start for the Devils this season after the team acquired Jake Allen (not injured related) from Montreal and Kaapo Kahkonen (not injury related) from San Jose before Friday's trade deadline. Allen and Kahkonen are unavailable for Saturday's contest due to travel and immigration issues. Daws is 9-10-0 with a 3.32 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 19 NHL appearances this season. The Hurricanes sit 11th in the league with 3.29 goals per game in 2023-24.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Moved up and down
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Daws was demoted to AHL Utica before being called back up Friday, per the AHL's transaction log.
Daws was cycled between levels as a paper move Friday in order to make him eligible for the AHL playoffs. He's 9-10-0 with a 3.32 GAA and an .890 save percentage through 19 NHL appearances this season.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Sharp in win
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Daws stopped 23 of 24 shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Blues.
Daws was solid Thursday, holding the Blues to a lone Brandon Saad tally in the second period en route to his first win since Feb. 27. The 23-year-old Daws had been struggling coming into the contest, allowing eight goals on just 27 shots in his previous two outings. Daws improved to 9-10-0 with an .890 save percentage and 3.32 GAA on the campaign. With Vitek Vanecek (lower body) still unavailable, Daws could be back between the pipes Saturday in a home matchup with Carolina.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Slated to start Thursday
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Daws is set to start at home against St. Louis on Thursday, according to Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.
Daws has an 8-10-0 record, 3.47 GAA and .887 save percentage in 18 appearances in 2023-24. He'll attempt to rebound after allowing eight goals on 27 shots (.704 save percentage) over his past two outings. St. Louis ranks 26th offensively with 2.82 goals per game, so this should be a favorable matchup for Daws.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Gets hook in Sunday's loss
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Daws gave up four goals on 13 shots before being replaced by Akira Schmid midway through the second period of Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Kings.
A power-play tally by Kevin Fiala prompted the switch in net by head coach Lindy Ruff, and it was more a reflection of his team's sloppy play than it was Daws' performance. The 23-year-old goalie has lost four of his last six starts, going 2-4-0 with a rough 4.62 GAA and .813 save percentage, and he's gotten the hook in each of the last two. With the Devils' postseason hopes fading fast -- they're eight points back of a wild-card spot, with the Islanders and Capitals between them and the Lightning for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference -- a trade deadline deal for a big-name netminder may be less likely than it looked a few weeks ago. Even if the team doesn't make a move, Daws may not hold onto the No. 1 job much longer.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Starting in Los Angeles
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Daws will be stationed between the pipes in Los Angeles on Sunday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Daws got shelled by the Ducks on Friday, coughing up four goals on just 14 shots in two periods. The 23-year-old has allowed at least four goals in three of his last five starts, posting a brutal .826 save percentage during that span to drop to 8-9-0 with a 3.33 GAA and an .892 save percentage on the year.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Pulled after two periods
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Daws allowed four goals on 14 shots over two periods in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Ducks.
The Devils tilted the ice quite a bit, but Daws' leakiness on the Ducks' limited opportunities made the difference. Daws has had some good performances this season, but he's allowed three or more goals in five of his last six outings. He's now at 8-9-0 with a 3.33 GAA and an .892 save percentage over 17 appearances. Akira Schmid stopped all nine shots he faced in the third period in his relief outing, which sets up head coach Lindy Ruff for a challenging decision about his starting goalie Sunday versus the Kings. Daws was credited with the loss Friday.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Tending twine Friday
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Daws will get the starting nod in Anaheim on Friday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Daws has won his last two starts, stopping a combined 52 of 57 shots in the process. The 23-year-old is 5-3-0 over his last eight outings, posting an .899 save percentage during that time. On the year, he's 8-8-0 with an .897 save percentage through 16 games.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Cruises to win
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Daws allowed two goals on 31 shots in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Sharks.
Daws allowed the first and last goals in the game, but he received plenty of support from his teammates in between. This was his fifth win in his last eight outings, though he's allowed at least three goals in four of those games. The 23-year-old is at 8-8-0 with a 3.21 GAA and an .897 save percentage through 16 appearances. Daws is likely to continue working as the Devils' No. 1 goalie until either Vitek Vanecek (lower body) returns or the team makes a trade for a more established netminder.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Starting in San Jose
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Daws will guard the road goal versus the Sharks on Tuesday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Daws went 4-3-0 with a 3.16 GAA and an .894 save percentage over a run of seven straight starts from Feb. 12-24. The 23-year-old has filled in as the Devils' No. 1 goalie with Vitek Vanecek (lower body) out. Daws will get a favorable matchup with a Sharks team that has scored 11 goals over five games since the All-Star break.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Hangs on for win Saturday
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Daws made 23 saves in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Canadiens.
After a scoreless first period, the 23-year-old netminder had trouble keeping Montreal down once the New Jersey offense got rolling. Daws was caught too deep in his net on a Nick Suzuki tally midway through the second. The Devils' netminder also couldn't squeeze another Suzuki shot inside the final two minutes of the third as the Habs tried to rally from a 4-2 deficit. He's allowed at least three goals in four straight starts, going 2-2-0 with a brutal .856 save percentage during that span. With Akira Schmid back on the NHL roster, Daws' run as the clear No. 1 for the Devils could be coming to an end.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Starting again Saturday
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Daws will guard the home net Saturday against the Canadiens, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
It'll be the seventh straight appearance for Daws with Vitek Vanecek (lower body) still unavailable. The 23-year-old Daws has lost back-to-back outings, allowing 11 goals on 44 shots in that span. He'll look to right the ship Saturday against a Montreal team averaging 2.74 goals per game.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Burned by Blueshirts
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Daws made 13 saves in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Rangers.
The poor numbers for Daws can be laid squarely at the feet of a Devils' defense that committed multiple turnovers and mental errors in its own zone, but that doesn't change the fact that the 23-year-old has given up 11 goals on only 44 shots over the last two games. The pressure is mounting on New Jersey to make a splash at the trade deadline and acquire a frontline goalie, but in the short term Daws may need a breather after starting six straight games and going 3-3-0 with a 3.19 GAA and .895 save percentage.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Expected to start Thursday
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Daws is expected to start at home against the Rangers on Thursday, per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.
Daws will attempt to rebound after allowing six goals on 26 shots in a loss to Washington on Tuesday. He has a 6-7-0 record, 3.18 GAA and .903 save percentage in 13 contests this season. The Rangers, who are in a three-way tie for goals per game this year, might be a difficult adversary for Daws.
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Devils' Nico Daws: Surrenders six goals
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Daws stopped 20 of 26 shots in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Capitals.
It was a rough start for Daws, as he allowed a goal 39 seconds into the game and then gave up four consecutive goals in the next two frames. Alex Ovechkin capped off the win on the power play with only 33 seconds remaining. In the four games prior to this start, Daws allowed two or fewer goals in three of those outings, displaying solid promise. Daws has shown flashes of potential lately, but with this recent blip -- putting up a .769 save percentage against the Caps -- consistency is still a concern.
