The New Jersey Devils entered a pivotal reset moment for the franchise with the firing of Tom Fitzgerald as general manager and president of hockey operations on Monday.
It was only three months ago when Fitzgerald told reporters during a roundtable discussion that the issues plaguing the team at the time were, “On me. I’m one to take accountability on myself.”
A promising start to the season, in which New Jersey was 13-4-1 and second in points percentage (.750) behind the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 15, is again ending too soon. The Devils (40-34-3, 83 points) are currently seventh in the Metropolitan Division and seven points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
New Jersey is no longer in a rebuild. Instead, it’s in a results phase. Devils managing partner David Blitzer framed this offseason as “critical” and emphasized competing for a Stanley Cup, not patience or long-term experiments.
“And we will explore all avenues that best position the Devils to compete for a Stanley Cup once again,” Blitzer added in a statement.
The harsh reality is the Devils haven’t qualified for the postseason in consecutive seasons since the last of 13 straight appearances in 2009-10, not counting the 2004-05 work stoppage.
After losing a six-game series to the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, New Jersey has qualified just three times (2017-18, 2022-23, 2024-25).
Since Fitzgerald was named interim GM in January 2020, the Devils have qualified twice and won one playoff round, defeating the New York Rangers in the first round in 2023 in seven games.
So, what are the keys to turning things around?
Here are five things that could be on the to-do list for the next Devils GM:
1. Backup plan in place
There’s no question that when Jack Hughes is at his best, New Jersey is at its optimum performance level. Unfortunately, since entering the NHL in 2019-20, Hughes has played more than 62 regular-season games once, when he had 99 points (43 goals, 56 assists) in 78 games and the Devils reached the second round in 2023. He missed 21 games this season (8-13-0), including 18 straight from Nov. 15-Dec. 19, because of a nonhockey injury to his hand. The team needs to find a way to give its players and fan base some assurance that a collapse or goal-scoring drought isn’t inevitable in the absence of its best player.
