The New Jersey Devils were hoping for a bigger offseason than they’ve had so far. They wanted the type of offseason that sets up a contender. Instead, they worked around the margins and fixed areas like the bottom six and center depth. While those are important, it’s hard to be excited about the offseason as a whole.
One move that didn’t get covered but might impact the franchise in a huge way was the loss of the Harris-Blitzer Sports and Entertainment Chief Financial Officer David Collins. He left to take a job with Madison Square Garden this past April.
Right now, the Devils’ staff directory doesn’t list a CFO. There’s a Senior Director of Finance and a Vice President of Finance and Operations, but the CFO job still stands unhoused.
Most probably don’t pay attention to the changes in the front office unless it’s the general manager, or if a franchise legend moves elsewhere. Basically, if Tom Fitzgerald or Martin Brodeur move on, then people would pay attention. CFO David Collins? That’s not getting the publicity (which is why it’s being written about in July).
However, when looking at what Collins was in charge of, fans might become interested. According to his profile at his new job with MSG, Collins’ decision-making could directly impact fan experience and value.
"Mr. Collins oversaw the company’s finance, accounting, strategy & analytics, IT and ticket operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Devils and the Prudential Center."MSG bio for David Collins
A lot of the above is corporate roles that do impact the day-to-day, but the one that most people will pay most attention to is the team’s ticket operations. Being the CFO, we have to imagine the financial strategy directly impacts ticket prices. Collins was in seat for about 10 years, so he was very integrated into the financials of the team. He knew what the Devils needed to do to make a profit.
We don’t expect to see big changes off the bat, especially with no CFO in seat today. Yet, this could have long-term impacts. Newark was recently recognized as a great place to watch a hockey game. Ticket prices did go into that study, so prices probably aren’t near the top of the NHL.
According to a recent report by The Athletic, the average Devils’ ticket cost is around $87 to get in the door. That’s on the lower half of the league. There are other elements of the experience that cost more than other teams, so it has the Devils in the bottom half of the league for total cost to be a fan.
The Devils will make changes when they get a new CFO. Unfortunately, with how prices are rising across entertainment industries, we can’t see ticket prices going down, but the hope is there’s more bang for your buck.