Forwards Cody Glass (Pittsburgh) and Daniel Sprong (Seattle) were added to that bottom-6 competition for playing time.
“The roster is expanded. As opposed to having only 23, now we’ve created competition,” Fitzgerald said. “So, if guys aren’t at the top of their game, we’ve got guys who can come in and play.”
Fitzgerald noted that the Devils were in play on some big-name players. But unfortunately, a deal couldn’t be found, including just missing out on one particular player.
“You’re in a fight into the 12th round. I don’t want to say a knockout punch, it was a split decision. A player went to a different team,” Fitzgerald said. “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.”
The Devils announced on Wednesday that superstar Jack Hughes will be out for the rest of the year following shoulder surgery. However, that fact didn’t alter the club’s deadline plans.
“With or without Jack, I was trying to add to the center-depth of our team,” Fitzgerald said. “(A player) with term, someone who would have been here next year. We came in second on it. My goal from the get-go, healthy team or non-healthy team, my goal was to go out and get certain pieces that we tried to get today. At the end of the day, we created more depth.”
Acquisition Reaction
Fitzgerald offered the following assessments on his acquisitions. He started with Dumoulin (Anaheim), whom was a member of the Penguins organization at the same time as Fitzgerald, as someone they wanted to fill the void of Jonas Siegenthaler.
“We’ve had our eye on Brian. I have a history with him,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s got a Stanley Cup pedigree. Versatile. He’s a defender. Can play on the PK. … Moves pucks well. I had my coaching staff watch film on a couple different defensemen at the time and everybody came away (saying) ‘this guy could help us.’ That was part of my priority was trying to grab him from Anaheim and come into this group.”
On Glass: “His size, his speed. He plays wing, center, gives you optionality. We want to be bigger. We want to be faster. He gives us that.”
On Sprong: “We’ve seen his play in the past, watched him score goals and use his speed, especially when he was in Washington versus us. We thought this is a low-risk move with a high return.”
On re-signing Kovacevic: “You talk about people taking advantage of an opportunity and this gentleman did. He’s a very good defenseman. He’s big, he’s mobile, he’s a right shot. Those guys are coveted throughout the league. For us to be able to tie him up, he’ll be a Devil here for quite some time, was important for us. I know he’s extremely happy. I know his teammates are happy and I believe the fans are happy that we’ve got this big, mobile, right-shot D.”
Message to the Team
The Devils haven’t only lost Jack Hughes for the rest of the year, Fitzgerald noted that Siegenthaler will miss the rest of the regular season and Dougie Hamilton “will be out an extended time.”
That said, the team’s goal has not changed. They still want to make the playoffs and compete for a title.
“That’s our goal. It’s no different than the start of the year,” Fitzgerald said. “The difference is we’re missing some players. Those players, you can’t fill those shoes. But we still have a good team. You look at our goaltending, you look at our defense, how we’ve defended. We’re one of the better teams in the league defending. That’s where it starts. We’re going to have to manufacture goals differently. I really like the way we’ve played.
“For us to continue to get points, we’re going to have to play a connected game and defense first, stay on top of the other team. Stay in the fight and try to manufacture goals differently or as often as we can.”
As far as his message to the team?
“That I believe in them and we’re a good team,” he said. “No Jack Hughes, but we’re not a one-man team. No Dougie Hamilton, but we’re not a one-man defense corps. We’re a good team. Our team realizes that when you can play a committed, defensive game, you give yourself a chance every night.
“The guys in that room are going to have to be the guys that have to do this.”
