Expectations will always lead to disappointment, and on Friday, that was certainly the case for fans of the New Jersey Devils.
Approaching the trade deadline, the club was rumored to be linked to Mikko Rantanen and Ryan O'Reilly, among others. Multiple reports stated that the Devils would be buyers despite a season-ending injury to Jack Hughes.
Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald wouldn't wave the white flag.
It set the stage for what could have been an exciting trade deadline, a time for Fitzgerald to reward his team for being in playoff position for the entire season. Acquire a goal scorer to generate much-needed offense.
Disappointment grew as the 3:00 p.m. deadline came and went, and the Devils did not acquire a bonafide top-six scorer.
Instead, Fitzgerald's work was highlighted by the acquisitions of a couple of depth defensemen, Brian Dumoulin and Dennis Cholowski, as well as depth forwards Cody Glass and Daniel Sprong. Names that were not publicly discussed by anyone leading up to Friday afternoon's deadline.
"We had a goal to try to add to the team, certain positions," Fitzgerald told reporters before his team's game against the Winnipeg Jets. "We tried hard on certain players. Some players were traded for big-time assets, and some re-signed with their teams, especially on the wing.
"You are in a fight into the 12th round," he continued. "I don't want to say a knockout punch, it was a split decision. A player went to a different team. It was difficult, but that happens. You win some, you lose some. My goal from the get-go was to add to this group, and the player that I went after hard was that player, with or without Jack (Hughes). We were still trying to add that. We came in second."
With the Devils struggling to generate offense over the past few months, anything less than a legitimate scorer would publicly be deemed a failure. Many felt this when they heard Fitzgerald address the media before his team took warmups at Prudential Center, saying that he and his front office tried.
Less than 30 minutes after Fitzgerald spoke, his team, led by goaltender Jacob Markstrom, took the ice looking to earn two points against the Jets. After 40 minutes, the players were booed off the ice by the home crowd as their opponent built up a 3-0 lead.
Dawson Mercer beat opposing goaltender Connor Hellebuyck 31 seconds into the third period, giving the thousands of fans inside Prudential Center something to cheer for, but it was short-lived.
Ultimately, New Jersey was handed their third consecutive loss as Winnipeg earned a 6-1 victory.
"It is hard to digest," Jonathan Kovacevic said to NJD.TV. "We got outclassed in every area tonight. It was a disappointing result, but a disappointing effort towards the end there. You could see in some of our body language too, tough game for us."
The runway is short for the Devils, who have 18 games remaining with a four-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets. With the trade deadline giving Devils fans little hope for the next couple of months, it will be up to head coach Sheldon Keefe and the players in the locker room to ignite some belief in the fans who are paying to attend their games in Newark.
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