The trade deadline came and went, and the New Jersey Devils were one of many that stood pat at the deadline.
Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald further explained the team's lack of moves with NJD.tv.
“I thought it was going to be very quiet from the get-go,” Fitzgerald said. “When you talk about trying to make hockey trades, swapping out young players for more established players or similar ilk, I really thought there’d be some traction with teams. I guess there was a sense of, a lot of tire-kicking with people. (Did I) expect this? Kind of.”
Fitzgerald wanted a fair trade and fielded calls, he told NJD.tv.
“I was open to anything,” Fitzgerald said. “Even young players for young players. Nothing really materialized that made sense for us. I got calls on a lot of guys, but never got any offers on them to think about.”
Fitzgerald aimed to add to the roster, but many teams were in similar situations.
“There were a lot of teams not willing to move pieces because they’re in a playoff sport or because they’re out of a playoff spot, like us, but still believe in their players and want to give it another go,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s how I read the whole situation.”
The Devils' lone move was waiving Luke Glendening, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Evgenii Dadonov. Glendening was claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers; however, Tsyplakov and Dadonov are available to rejoin the team.
Fitzgerald summarized the reasoning behind his trade deadline decisions. “
My focus was purely on the future of this organization moving forward and trying to add to the current group, a player or two that could grow with this group,” Fitzgerald said. “That was my focus, but nothing materialized.”
The Devils now look ahead as they continue their seven-game
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