James Nichols
There’s a new direction coming for the New Jersey Devils and there are a handful of reasons that led us here.
Tom Fitzgerald is out as general manager, however, his mark has been made. Fitzgerald has been in the New Jersey organization for the last 10 years, serving as general manager for the last six. He’s made some bold moves such as acquiring Timo Meier and signing Dougie Hamilton as the first premiere free agent in several seasons. He’s also made puzzling mistakes, such as trading Tyler Toffoli who was a clear fit at the time, and perhaps extending Johnathan Kovacevic a bit earlier than anticipated.
However, in the 2025-26 season alone, there are a number of misteps by the now former Devils GM that ultimately led to the decision to fire him, and they started quite early in the year.
The Jacob Markstrom Extension
Acquiring Jacob Markstrom was one thing. Fitzgerald gave up a first round pick for an aging goaltender, but he at least came with the merit of a legitimate starting goaltender. However, the urge to extend Markstrom at 35 years old and amid a long stretch of questionable games was puzzling. Markstrom’s history suggests inconsistency. When he’s good, he’s great. And when he’s bad, it can get real murky. More often than not in 2025-26, it’s been the matter, and entering his age-36 season, it’s difficult to see how it gets better. Fitzgerald had the whole season to evaluate what he was going to do with Markstrom, but instead rushed into a new extension that hasn’t even kicked in yet, all while Markstrom hasn’t bestowed confidence in anyone.
The Dougie Hamilton Debacle
The Hamilton situation was poorly handled. Word leaked that the Devils were shopping the veteran defenseman, then he was scratched for “performance reasons,” only to see his agent call Fitzgerald out for trying to force their hand at accepting a trade. He denied the notion then, and then again when asked about it later, despite learning Hamilton nixed a trade or two.
Missing on Quinn Hughes
Certainly, learning that Hamilton nixed a trade caused some tension despite his improved play. And it’s for the reason that the Devils were in on Quinn Hughes, and didn’t get him. Missing the face of the franchise’s brother when he was available for trade was a huge miss, one that could have turned the season 180°. Instead, he lost to a more aggressive GM willing to take a bigger swing, showing too much patience, and ultimately fostering an environment of uncertainty for players who felt they could be in the chopping block at any moment.
Too Many Trade Protections
Another claim Fitzgerald denied is that the number of trade protections he handed out hindered his ability to make moves. However, like we know Hamilton did, deals were nixed because of the trade protections he handed out, and the Devils GM was handcuffed by himself. Thus, he couldn’t make the necessary adds to improve the team, even when Jack Hughes was injured.
Inactivity at Trade Deadline
The inactivity at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline was perhaps the final straw. The Devils had pieces they could have moved to improve their arsenal of assets to make an even bigger swing this summer. Instead, Fitzgerald stood pat and did nothing. He even mentioned having the opportunity to explore a Hamilton trade, and explained that was something he wasn’t willing to do. In fact, his the acquisition of Nick Bjugstad becomes even more puzzling in the weeks leading up to the deadline, seemingly having a foot on each side of the fence as a buyer or a seller. Ultimately, the direction was unclear.
