At the start of the 2025-26 season, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald scoffed at the notion that the team was incomplete. 43 games into the season, he was wrong. Change is needed as the season has reached its boiling point.
With clear needs at top-six forward and a third line center entering the season, Fitzgerald pushed back on the notion that the Devils had “holes.”
“Well, it’s easy to say holes, I don’t know,” Fitzgerald started. “I mean, that’s a pretty deep word there, holes. I don’t know if we have that big of a hole up there. I think what we have is opportunity. You know, when you look at top lines around the league, I don’t want to get into what a top six forward group looks like, or what you know complimentary forwards look like with top players. All I do know is we have the opportunity for people to step up and possibly hold on to a position in our top six.”
Then, the Devils started hot, going 8-1-0 through their first nine games of the season. Yet, as they have in the previous two seasons, injuries piled up, and the Devils’ train fell off the tracks.
The rest of the way, New Jersey’s gone 14-18-2, on the backs of mediocre to poor goaltending, lack of finishing ability, and downright questionable effort on most nights.
It’s been especially bad since November 29th, with a 6-12-1 record in their last 19 games. And they can’t use the injury excuse any longer, as their main characters have been back for seven games now.
For whatever reason, there was urgency to sign Jacob Markstrom to a two-year extension at the beginning of the season. That’s otherwise proving to be a major oversight, as he just gave up NINE goals to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
On the other end of the ice, Ilya Sorokin pitched a 44-save shutout in his return from injury, despite the Devils creating plenty of scoring chances.
There’s no finish on in New Jersey. Timo Meier is supposed to be one of those guys, but he’s been too inconsistent. Nico Hischier has not scored at the 35-goal pace he did last season. Jesper Bratt has struggled to consistently score goals. And Jack Hughes—once again—missed far too many games this season to injury, and there’s still half of a season left to play.
For months now, we’ve been hearing about how the Devils’ GM is “working the phones.” We’ve heard it again. And again. And again.
Yet, Fitzgerald has seemingly backed himself into a corner. According to reports, at least one trade was vetoed, possibly two. It’s been all but confirmed that Dougie Hamilton—who owns a 10-team trade list—nixed a deal. Ondrej Palat has the same trade protection, but no one is willingly taking that contract off of New Jersey’s hands.
Heck, they might not even be able to activate Johnathan Kovacevic AND Simon Nemec when both are ready to return from injury without going over the salary cap.
Seemingly with no avenue for change on the roster, change needs to come from somewhere.
There’s no fight, no push, no emotion on the ice.
For the Devils to come out on Tuesday, the very next game after Devils fans booed Luke Hughes off the ice, and put up a goose egg is inexcusable. Again, to allow NINE GOALS is even worse!
Devils fans may have used Luke as the scapegoat the other night, but make no mistake, the picture of frustration is far bigger.
The inactivity, hell, the absence of the Devils’ general manager—who has been requested by New Jersey media several times amid struggles—after a national media tour amid early success, is jarring.
Change is needed. Is it head coach Sheldon Keefe? He probably doesn’t deserve blame in its entirety, but simultaneous to the questionable roster construction, the Devils seemingly don’t play to their strength as a speedy, skilled rush team.
Instead, perhaps New Jersey’s ship isn’t properly being steered. See the Buffalo Sabres, who made a change atop, and are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
When Fitzgerald traded Tyler Toffoli two trade deadlines ago amid a 35-goal pace, he said scoring would come from within. Much like how he explained at his season opening press conference, there is opportunity for someone to take hold of a top-six position.
He named Dawson Mercer as a potential Toffoli replacement. That hasn’t happened. You can see the potential in Arseny Gritsyuk, but he’s not pushing the needle quite yet. Otherwise, the rest of the top-six is underperforming, and no amount of accountability chats in the locker room are proving effective.
Something is wrong with the Devils. Any effort to make a change to the roster has been nixed by Fitzgerald’s own undoing. The Devils seemingly can’t get out of the hell they put themselves in.
Can Fitzgerald be trusted to steer the ship the rest of the way? Should he make the Devils’ next trade? The confidence in the Devils’ general manager is at an all-time low.
This can’t continue.
