Devils Get Their Tandem in Net I FEATURE

The plan for the Devils this summer was to add a veteran NHL goaltender to the roster to not only help mentor 24-year-old Mackenzie Blackwood, but to also push him.
They found their man Wednesday at the
onset of free agency by signing Jonathan Bernier
, 32, to a two-year contract.
"
Bringing my experience to a team like this.
Pushing any goalie that is in front of me, that's been my thing in the past few years," said Bernier, who has played 11 NHL seasons and won a Stanley Cup with Los Angeles in 2012. "I just want to push Blackwood. I know he's a very talented goalie. I'm sure we'll (be) a great duo together."
But don't get it twisted, the 11-year veteran isn't here just to be a helpful presence to Blackwood. He signed in New Jersey to play.

"I know he's a very good goalie," Bernier said. "At the same time, I'm not there to just give him the net. For me, I love playing the game. I want to play as many games as possible. But doing so, I'm going to push him. And I want the same from him. If he plays better than me then I'll push even harder to try and get that net again. That's how you become better as a team and individually as well."
Blackwood is a burgeoning talent that could one day become a top-tier NHL goaltender, but in the meantime, he needs to continue to improve and develop. Bernier's presence will go a long way in that development.
But having two players competing for playing time isn't the only benefit to have a 1a-1b combination in goal where the duties are shared. The other is rest. The Devils rode Blackwood hard last year, mostly due to Corey Crawford's unexpected retirement prior to the start of the season. Throw in a condensed schedule because of COVID-19, and a condensed-condensed schedule due to the two-week hiatus for New Jersey due to the virus outbreak amongst the team and a lot was asked of Blackwood.

Despite not having COVID-19 as much of an issue next season, the 2021-22 schedule will still be a little more condensed than normal due to the two-week Olympic break that was built in. So, rest will be a hot commodity.
"It's going to be another hard season. No one can do what Marty (Brodeur) did back in the day," Bernier said referencing the Devils advisor and Hall of Fame goaltender that played upwards of 70-plus games in a season with regularity. "Most teams are realizing that they need 1a-1b that can push each other and be in a healthy competition, but also get the rest when needed."
And that has been the trend around the NHL. With exception of Andrei Vasilevskiy in Tampa,the majority of teams have adopted a two-goalie approach.
"If you look around the league it's a 60-40 share," Bernier said. "It's really close to 50-50."
And that's how the Devils foresee the upcoming season. A healthy split between two competitive netminders that will make each other better, and in doing so, make the Devils better.
"They have a really good group of guys and good young players that are just going to get better every year," Bernier said. "To me, I was just excited to take on another challenge.
"As a goalie, when you're in that situation, it's just consistency. You have to go out there and be consistent every night and good things will happen. Your confidence will come up as a group, and then you start winning games. And then it's playoffs. For me, it's the same mindset of what I've been doing."