The New Jersey Devils very well could have lost goalie Nico Daws on waivers ahead of the start of the regular season, and to avoid that, they could have traded the blossoming goalie prospect for another asset.
Instead, the Devils stood their ground, placed Daws on waivers, and watched as the 24-year-old cleared and remained with the organization on the heels of an impressive but small sample size in 2024-25.
That sample size only came about due to a Jacob Markstrom injury last season, and, as we know, it just happened again. That's why it was crucial to keep Daws, and the Devils' gamble has paid off massively.