Devils acquire goaltender Jon Gillies from Blues

The St. Louis Blues are set to get Jordan Binnington back after he was removed from COVID protocol, meaning they no longer needed the services of recently signed netminder Jon Gillies. They’ve traded Gillies to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for future considerations, giving him a chance at a roster spot that wasn’t going to be available in St. Louis.

It’s been a pretty good stretch for Gillies, who went from signing a professional tryout with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Nov. 23 to signing an NHL deal on Dec. 8, posting a 36-save performance for the Blues in an emergency start and then finding himself shipped to the Devils where he will likely remain in the NHL.

The Devils currently have 21-year-old Akira Schmid up under emergency conditions as Jonathan Bernier deals with an injury; Schmid can now be sent back down to continue his development as soon as Gillies arrives. The 27-year-old netminder has just 13 games of NHL experience under his belt, but plenty of minor-league time. Should the Devils decide to send Gillies to the minor leagues at some point, he’ll need to clear waivers.

For the Blues, they now have their normal starter back in the fold and Charlie Lindgren to handle any backup duties. Gillies was redundant, meaning clearing the contract slot is actually a big win for the team, even if they didn’t receive an actual asset in return.