Committing Long Term To Tom Fitzgerald Was New Jersey Devils Best Move

As New Jersey Devils fans, we have been trusting the process that has only seen one measly playoff win since Joshua Harris and David Blitzer took over ownership of the Devils. It has been a longer than expected grueling rebuild. But ownership finally got it right by committing long term to Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald.

It was fool’s gold when the Devils clinched a playoff berth in 2018 as Taylor Hall won the Hart Trophy. It gave fans a false sense of progress. It made it seem like the Devils were headed somewhere in the near future. Yet somehow, Hall’s MVP type performance gave the illusion that the Devils were ready to rise (Remember “Now We Rise” campaign?) up the competitive Metropolitan Division. But the next season, the Devils found themselves winning the NHL draft lottery sweepstakes and entering Hall’s final year of his contract.

You can’t fault ownership for not trying. They went for it. Harris and Blitzer courted Hall to sign long term but Hall and his agent balked. Remember that picture of Harris, Blitzer and Hall at a 76ers and Toronto Raptors playoff game? Got to give them credit, they tried. Even after selecting Jack Hughes as first overall, trading for P.K. Subban, signing Nikita Gusev, Hall still remained uncommitted. After a disastrous start to the 2019-2020 season, Hynes was fired, Hall was traded, and Ray Shero “parted ways” with the Devils after failing to meet expectations. Fitzgerald was named “interim” Devils GM and was thrusted into the spotlight.

Almost immediately, Fitzgerald started to make hard decisions such as trading Devils fan favorite Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning, which resulted in getting back prospect Nolan Foote and eventually drafting Shakir Mukahamaddulin with the Canucks first round pick. When the world stopped, Fitzgerald kept the team together and kept drafting to keep that pipeline of young talent into the Devils farm system. Then hired veteran head coach Lindy Ruff to lead this young team.

Fitzgerald kept at it. After the team was struggling coming back from the Covid break, he made the hard decision to trade both long time Devil Travis Zajac and New Jersey native Kyle Palmieri to the rival Islanders. The Devils found themselves again in the draft lottery. However, the recent development of Michael McLeod, Yegor Sharangovich, Ty Smith, Janne Kuokkanen, and Jack Hughes brought on “The Summer of Fitz”. As long as the Devils do not mortgage the future, Fitzgerald got the green light to spend money.

The trade for Ryan Graves was the first domino to fall. Also by signing Dougie Hamilton and acquiring Christian Jaros instantly addresses the Devils blueline and lack of size. A redo of signing a veteran goaltender like Jonathan Bernier was needed to compliment Mackenzie Blackwood. Tomas Tatar signing gives the Devils a legit sniper. With the exception of Dougie Hamilton, all these transactions come with a reasonable price tags of two years or less commitment by the Devils. Best of all, the Devils are still $13M under the flat salary cap for this upcoming season with P.K. Subban’s monster $8M coming off the books next season.

The future looks bright. Harris and Blitzer have put their trust in Fitzgerald.

In Fitz We Trust.