Based on how this season has gone for the New Jersey Devils, it is only fitting that the team surprises fans at the NHL trade deadline. General manager Tom Fitzgerald tried to have the best of both worlds, selling away forward Tyler Toffoli to the Winnipeg Jets for draft picks and also acquiring two goalies in an attempt to upgrade an area that has been a concern all season.

The first deal saw the Devils add veteran Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens, but they weren't satisfied. New Jersey agreed to a last-minute trade with the San Jose Sharks that will see both teams swap goalies. Vitek Vanecek joins the hapless Sharks while Kaapo Kahkonen lands with the underachieving Devils, according to Kevin Weekes of ESPN, NHL Network and TSN.

Vitek Vanecek, Kaapo Kahkonen get fresh starts after Devils-Sharks trade

Fans will be confused by Fitzgerald's decision to snag two netminders, but that is superseded by the frustration they feel for having to wait this long for the organization to take action. New Jersey had big expectations for the 2023-24 campaign after winning more than 50 games for the first time in a decade and a half last year. It has a 31-28-4 record and trails the Tampa Bay Lighting by six points in the wild card race, so this team will likely be watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs from home.

Hence, the 2024 NHL trade deadline for the Devils was about setting themselves up for the future. Despite his 6-20 record, 3.81 goals average against and .895 save percentage this season, Kahkonen flashes some promise. Now that he is on a far more talented roster, the 27-year-old can try to reclaim the productive form he displayed with the Minnesota Wild a few years back.

Vanecek had been on borrowed time for a while now (3.18 goals average against, .890 save percentage in 2023-24), but he will have a chance to figure things out in San Jose without being under immense pressure. Truthfully, neither goalie in this trade is going to delight anyone with their numbers. A change needed to be made, though, and this proved to be the most intriguing return value the Devils could secure.

Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen will presumably compete for the starting job with youngsters Nico Daws and Akira Schmid getting extra time to develop in the AHL. Better days could be ahead, but they probably won't come in time to brighten the cloudy skies that currently hang above the Prudential Center.