New Jersey Devils: How Should Fans Deal With Lost Season?

Now that we’re going into February, it’s officially a lost season for the New Jersey Devils. How should fans deal with every game being for nothing?

This is the low point. In a season full of hitting rock bottom and grabbing a shovel, Thursday night was the lowest point of the season. The New Jersey Devils lost to the New York Rangers after holding a 2-0 lead in the first period.

It all started with a very questionable call at the end of the first period on Marcus Johansson. The Rangers immediately scored on the ensuing power play with two seconds left in the period. Then, there was the pathetic second period effort, where the Devils mustered five shots and gave up the lead. After going down one in the third, they came back and Egor Yakovlev scored, which was nice, but minutes later the Rangers scored the game-winning goal.

Mika Zibanejad scored the Rangers first hat trick in New Jersey since the dreaded Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals when Mark Messier did the honors. The Devils just continued to give the puck away over and over again. In the first period, they gave up supreme chances, then had to work really hard to stop high-danger chances. They still ended up losing the game.

One game shouldn’t make a New Jersey Devils fan quit on the season, but there are so many other factors. The Devils are playing Keith Kinkaid in net, and he’s just not playing well. We’ll leave it at that. Taylor Hall may not return this season, despite what John Hynes says. Now, Sami Vatanen went on IR with a concussion and could be out for a long time. That leaves the Devils putting out a lineup that looks like this:

So, these injuries force the Devils to play Yakovlev, Mirco Mueller and Steve Santini all at the same time. Brett Seney is on the third line. Kevin Rooney and Drew Stafford are on the same line. It’s a miracle this team was able to score any goals 5-on-5. No offense to those players. They would all be good as complimentary players. However, this has become a team of complimentary players.

The big question is what do fans do now. There just isn’t enough time for the Devils to make up this deficit. The New Jersey Devils could go 20-7-5 to end the season, and they’d still only have 90 points. That would also ask the Devils to get the same amount of points in 32 games that they did in the first 50.

Now that we’ve come to the conclusion this is it for the Devils, how should fans go about the rest of the season? For the next few weeks, it’s still pretty fun because we get to root for the players the team can trade at the deadline. Cheer your heart out for Marcus Johansson as he continues to build his value. Hope that Ben Lovejoy comes back soon, so we can hope for a 3rd-round pick in a trade. Get excited for Brian Boyle each time he scores a power play goal, because he might be the most valuable trade chip on this team. Then, prepare for some AHL players to get their shot a little earlier than we hoped.

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Once February 25th comes and goes, there is still stuff for Devils fans to do. Obviously, continue to watch Devils hockey and think about how these players could fit into the lineup for next year. Once everyone’s gone, how will a player like Jesper Bratt react? Is his future a second-line winger on a great team, or is he a scoring threat from the bottom six? Can Seney become an everyday NHL forward? Joey Anderson will return soon, we can see how he plays to finish out his rookie season. Of course, watching Nico Hischier grow is always a joy.

Also, do a deep dive into the NHL Draft prospects. Obviously, we all know about Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko who are sure to go one-two (as long as this Hughes injury isn’t a concern). No, you need to go deeper. Look into who Ray Shero may steal in the sixth round again and make a super star. Find out who the New Jersey Devils may announce if they fall out of that top two, and fall in love with the skill of those players.

Finally, pay attention to the Devils prospects. Jesper Boqvist is doing great things in Sweden. He could be heading over the Atlantic Ocean next season. Pay attention to the Super Buddies Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian, who looked like they were on the bust train until they were once again paired with each other. It would be amazing if the Devils found a way to keep them paired.

Obviously, Ty Smith is the player to watch from now on. He’s amazing, and he is just a treat to watch. He’s a monster for the Spokane Chiefs, and he will eventually lead them into the playoffs. His team is currently in third in the U.S. Division, and will likely stay there or go into the first Wild Card spot.

There’s also Reilly Walsh, Jeremy Davies, Mitchell Hoelscher and more to watch out there. We could have seen Aarne Talvitie, but he’s out for the season after an injury in the World Junior Championships.

Things are bad. We’re not trying to sugar coat this. However, there is reason for optimism. We can’t keep worrying about Taylor Hall’s extension and complaining about how he’s going to leave on Twitter constantly. It’s not healthy. We need to put our efforts into looking towards the future. It’s more than likely this was all a part of the plan. It’s not our favorite plan, but it could turn this team into a real contender.