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Emily KaplanESPN
The New Jersey Devils have traded goalie Keith Kinkaid to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft.
The Blue Jackets have been extremely active ahead of the trade deadline, also acquiring Ottawa Senators forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel over the weekend.
Kinkaid, 29, has showed flashes of strong play for the Devils over the past two seasons, but has largely disappointed lately. In 41 appearances in 2018-19, Kinkaid is 15-18-6 with a .891 save percentage and 3.36 GAA. He has a $1.25 million cap hit and becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The acquisition of Kinkaid could be assurance if the Blue Jackets end up moving two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who was not able to reach a contract extension with the team and also becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“While we believe goaltending is a position of strength for our club with Sergei Bobrovsky and Joonas Korpisalo, we thought it was important to add depth to the position,” GM Jarmo Kekalainen said in a news release. “Keith Kinkaid is an experienced National Hockey League goaltender who will provide that depth as we move through the final month of the regular season and into the spring.”
Kinkaid has played his entire career with the Devils, making his debut in the 2012-13 season. He set a career high in games this season.
Columbus’ backup goaltender this season is the 24-year-old Korpisalo, who has a .896 save percentage and 3.07 GAA in 21 games. Korpisalo is a restricted free agent this summer.
The Blue Jackets now only have a third round, fourth round and two seventh round picks in the 2019 draft.