2:00 PM: Daws has been promptly reassigned to the minor leagues, with backup Jake Allen sharing that he’ll travel with the team on their upcoming two-game road trip, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. The first game of the trip is against St. Louis, where Allen spent the first seven years of his NHL career. Daws will join Poulter in returning to Utica, giving the Comets their goaltending duo back in full.
9:30 AM: The Devils have swapped temporary backup netminders, announcing the recall of Nico Daws from AHL Utica. They’ve sent Isaac Poulter back down to the minors in a corresponding move after he backed up Jacob Markström in New Jersey’s last three games while Jake Allen is dealing with an upper-body injury.
Daws would have been New Jersey’s preferred option for a recall initially, but the 23-year-old was battling an injury and played for the first time this month over the weekend. A 2020 third-round pick, the German-born Canadian national has a 2.96 GAA, .900 SV%, one shutout, and a 3-9-2 record on the farm with Utica this season.
Especially compared to Poulter’s blank slate, Daws already has a fair amount of experience at the NHL level. While he didn’t see NHL ice in 2022-23, he played at least 20 games for the Devils in both the 2021-22 and 2023-24 campaigns. In 46 career appearances, he has a 19-22-1 record, 3.13 GAA and .894 SV%. He’s saved 13.3 goals below average during that time.
Summoning Daws indicates that Allen will miss a fourth straight game tomorrow when New Jersey faces his former team, the Blues. He’s yet to land on injured reserve, suggesting he’s still a strong possibility of being available on Thursday against the Blue Jackets. The 12-year veteran has been a strong backup to Markström this season, recording a .900 SV% and 2.74 GAA in 10 starts while saving 2.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.
Daws is still waiver-exempt, but in the unlikely event he plays 14 games this season, he’d be at 60 career appearances and would need waivers to return to Utica. Regardless of how much he plays, he’ll need to clear waivers to head to the minors next year.