5 biggest New Jersey Devils draft mistakes of the Tom Fitzgerald era

Tom Fitzgerald hasn't had as much success as his predecessor at the NHL Draft. Where has Fitzgerald gone wrong for the New Jersey Devils when it comes to prospect development?
New Jersey Devils v New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils v New York Islanders | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages

One of the keys of the Ray Shero era with the New Jersey Devils is quality drafting. Shero as the Devils’ GM was very good at picking the right players in the NHL Draft. He avoided most busts, and he took some chances in the later rounds that hit the nail on the head. Shero got Jesper Bratt in the sixth round, Yegor Sharangovich in the fifth round, Fabian Zetterlund in the third round, and Mackenzie Blackwood in the second round. On top of that, he had mostly wins in the first round, taking Jack Hughes over Kaapo Kakko, Nico Hischier over Nolan Patrick, seeing light out of their other first-round picks, even if others didn’t work out in the long run (like Ty Smith). 

The same can’t be said for Tom Fitzgerald. While he has his wins, he’s struggled to get something out of his late-round picks, with just two non-first-round picks making their NHL debut at this point. Yes, some of these players need development, but we now have six years' worth of drafts. Some of these prospects should have graduated by now. 

When looking at the totality of his drafting, Fitzgerald has selected 45 players. Seven have played an NHL game. The track record isn't good, but some picks are much worse than others. Who were the biggest swings and misses of the Tom Fitzgerald era?

5. Anton Silayev
2024 NHL Draft
First Round, 10th Overall

Okay, we start off with one that’s WAY too early to tell, but the early returns on the 2024 NHL Draft is interesting. We really like Anton Silayev as a ceiling guy. He could be a unicorn, standing at 6’7 with incredible skating and insane offensive upside. However, it’s who Tom Fitzgerald left on the board at the same position that puts Silayev on this list. Some really liked Sam Dickinson, but he’s not the guy who puts Silayev here. They both have similar upside.

It’s Zeev Buium that has the Devils feeling regretful. Many have Buium up there with reigning first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer as the best defensive prospects in hockey. Silayev had a similar year as his draft year, and his development might be stunted while playing for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL. Buium already looks like a budding star one year after the draft. 

4. Shakir Mukhamadullin
2020 NHL Draft
First Round, 20th overall

Shakir Mukhamadullin is a pick that has aged decently well over the years, but it’s still not the progression one would want from a top-tier defenseman. He was taken 20th overall, but many had him going in the second round. This was an overdraft by Fitzgerald which might be decent. However, when Fitzgerald traded Mukhamadullin, he did so as just another piece in a massive trade.

Fitzgerald sent Mukhamadullin, Fabian Zetterlund, and what could have turned into two more first-round picks for Timo Meier and a few other pieces that didn’t amount to anything. He was not valued as a 20th-overall pick who was now a prospect in the NHL ranks. Even if he was in a better spot in San Jose, the choice didn’t make sense then, and they didn’t get great value when they moved him. 

3. Jaromir Pytlik
2020 NHL Draft
Fourth Round, 99th overall

This pick makes one thing clear: the Devils have traded a lot of their draft picks. Fitzgerald was forced to go without his first second-round pick because of the P.K. Subban trade. He lost picks in the Timo Meier, Jacob Markstrom, and Tyler Toffoli trades. So, there are multiple picks that are either too recent or too late to be considered busts. Jaromir Pytlik is an interesting case, and that’s why he makes the list. 

Pytlik has been playing on Jaromir Jagr’s Czechia team, the Kladno Knights. This offseason, he moved to the Liberic White Tigers of the Czech Extraliga. We believe they are the reigning champs of that league. However, the most important thing here is Pytlik is no longer the property of the Devils. If he decides to come over to the AHL/NHL one day, he would be free to sign with whoever he wants. The 2020 fourth round was remarkably bad (only three players have NHL games played, and none are NHL regulars), so it’s hard to fault Fitz, but this isn’t a good pick.

2. Alexander Holtz
2020 NHL Draft
First Round, Seventh overall

This one is a real bust. Alexander Holtz was a miss of epic proportions for Tom Fitzgerald. It was his very first draft pick as the team’s GM, but he had been the Devils’ assistant GM for a few years. He was in the room for the Jack Hughes pick and the Ty Smith pick. He knew how the first round worked, although the 2020 draft was insanely different since it was the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Holtz made sense on paper, which is why he’s not at the top of this list. He’s a sniper to pair with Jack Hughes. He had an NHL-level shot in his draft year. However, something just didn’t click. As hard as he worked, the skill level never turned the corner. Fitz cut bait on Holtz last season, trading him to the Vegas Golden Knights in a package for Paul Cotter. Most Devils fans hated the trade at first, but many are happy after seeing Holtz get little playing time this past season.

1. Chase Stillman
2021 NHL Draft
First Round, 29th overall

Chase Stillman is the worst decision the Devils have made under Tom Fitzgerald. It’s worth than any trade, any signing, any draft pick, or any development decision. Stillman was an insane pick at the time, and it only got worse after Stillman became a pro. He was expected to go in the fourth round going into the 2021 NHL Draft, and he went in the first round. It was made so much worse with Logan Stankoven on the board, a player pretty much all Devils fans who were plugged into the draft wanted him to take. Now, Stankoven is crushing it for the Devils rivals in Carolina, and Stillman was just traded for the second time in four months.

The Devils traded Stillman as a bit piece in the Cody Glass deal. It’s not like Cody Glass is Timo Meier. He didn’t have insane value. He’s a fourth-line center. Still, the Devils had to take one on the chin, understanding that they sent their big swing to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they immediately traded him for a goalie swing.