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New Jersey Devils Award Keith Kinkaid First NHL Start

By Catherine Silverman

Sep 22, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid (1) makes a second period save against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 22, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid (1) makes a second period save against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /
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New Jersey Devils give rookie Keith Kinkaid first NHL start against the Chicago Blackhawks

In yet another inexplicable move by the New Jersey Devils coaching staff and management team, the Metropolitan Division franchise awards rookie netminder Keith Kinkaid his first career NHL start…against the Chicago Blackhawks.

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The Devils have already received a considerable bit of heat this season for the way they’ve handled the situation in net; after giving starter Cory Schneider a record-breaking 20 consecutive starts, they’ve still been hesitant to give him a break. Schneider has started in 27 of 28 games so far this season; tonight will be a much-needed break after stopping thirty-nine of forty shots by the Carolina Hurricanes in a 2-1 win for Jersey.

Kinkaid has spent the vast majority of his time with the Devils playing for their AHL affiliate, the Albany Devils; when the team recalled him this morning and reassigned backup Scott Clemmensen to Albany, it was reasoned that Kinkaid’s consistent playing time in the AHL was a big factor in playing him over Clemmensen.

With five forwards and two defensemen missing from the roster tonight, though, many wonder why the team didn’t swap nights to start Kinkaid and Schneider. The Hurricanes seem to pose a much less significant threat to the battered Devils than the Blackhawks, who seem to grow stronger every day.

Of course, I also wonder… why did the Devils sign Clemmensen to back up Schneider if they were never going to use him? Few doubt Cory’s ability to take over what was once Martin Brodeur’s uncontested throne, but the team has done a pretty good job of running him into the ground before the season is even half over.

If this is tanking for McDavid, it’s tacky. Hopefully, Kinkaid will blow everyone away and get some real starts this season.

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