The expectations were sky high in 2023-24 for a New Jersey Devils team that finished third in league standings last year and came within two wins of the Eastern Conference Final. This roster was widely thought to be a Stanley Cup contender again this time around. But injuries, poor goaltending and an overall lack of polish have sunk NJ throughout the campaign, with the team currently a full eight points back of the final wildcard berth in the East.

This isn't looking anything like a roster that can compete for a Stanley Cup come April. This doesn't even look like one that will make the playoffs, and if the trajectory continues, it'll be the fifth postseason-less campaign in Newark in six years. That is terrible for a club that is looking to win now, and one that was a powerhouse in 2022-23.

It's clear how far the mighty have fallen when Lindy Ruff, who was expected to help this team make another deep playoff run, is no longer the bench boss. Ruff was fired earlier this week and replaced by interim coach Travis Green for the rest of the campaign. That's the kind of season it's been in New Jersey.

Nothing has gone right for the Devils this season

It's hard to put into words how valuable Dougie Hamilton is to this club. He had surgery for a torn pectoral muscle back in December, and will almost certainly miss the rest of the regular-season. Besides Jack Hughes, he is probably the most important player on the roster, and his absence has been felt in so many ways over the last several weeks.

Hughes going down with injury didn't help, with New Jersey's best forward missing a crucial piece of the season. Without Hamilton and Hughes in the lineup, this just really isn't a playoff team. And that has been on full display for a Devils squad that has won just three of its last nine games.

But the ongoing problem in Newark, the one place that badly needs to be fixed, is goaltending. None of Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws or Akira Schmid have over a .900 save percentage. It doesn't matter how good your team is, with netminding like that, you aren't going to make the playoffs. And that's exactly where this team is trending in 2023-24.

“Our goaltending has not been good enough,” general manager Tom Fitzgerald said in a meeting with the media on Tuesday morning. The executive confirmed he is looking to make an upgrade there before Friday's trade deadline.

Devils' nightmare scenario is not getting a goalie at the deadline

New Jersey Devils goaltender Nico Daws (50) makes a save in the second period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, the Devils nightmare scenario at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline is not acquiring another goalie. If on Saturday, Daws and Schmid are the two goalies on the roster (Vanecek remains on IR), it'll basically be waving the white flag on the season. There's just no way this roster as currently constructed is going to be able to make up the ground needed to make the playoffs without a capable starting goalie.

Fitzgerald tried hard to bring Calgary Flames star goalie Jacob Markstrom to Newark, and credit to him for trying to make a splash. But the deal didn't work out, Markstrom is likely to remain in Alberta at least until the end of the season, and the Devils continue boasting probably the weakest goaltending tandem of any team with postseason aspirations in 2024.

Montreal Canadiens' Jake Allen could be a fit in New Jersey, and he wouldn't be too expensive. The Habs have three goalies of their own. Allen is a proven starter who is having a decent year on a bad Montreal team, and it's likely he'll get a change of scenery on Friday.

Will GM Tom Fitzgerald trade for a goalie, or is it too late?

Montreal Canadiens goalie Jake Allen (34) makes a save during the third period of the game against the Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre.
Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

But, to be honest, it's probably too little too late for New Jersey. Even if they are able to get an upgrade between the pipes, they remain in a battle with multiple teams. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres are all hanging around, and the competition will only get harder down the stretch.

It's looking very unlikely that this team is going to get into the playoffs, either way. Dougie Hamilton can't be replaced, Jack Hughes missed a crucial piece of the campaign, and it will take better hockey than the roster has played all season just to sniff a wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference.

For that reason, it might make sense for Fitzgerald to wait until the offseason. Why give up pieces of this roster — or draft capital — to improve a team that is fading away by the day? If the Devils front office could have gotten Markstrom, or a different tendie, a little bit earlier, that's one thing. But now, at 30-27-4, it might be time to accept that it's a lost season and sell at the deadline. That means that Tyler Toffoli could be getting traded yet again.

Either way, it's been a nightmare campaign in Newark. The NHL is a tough league, and the Devils will be back, but it's just impossible to see this roster in a playoff position come April. But crazier things have happened. The talent is there, and if NJ can get a capable starting goalie at the deadline, they could surprise the hockey world down the stretch.