One thing about a coach's seat is that it's never ice cold. But absolutely nothing is warmer than a coach's seat for a team who didn't perform as well as they should. The latest — albeit by his own doing — victim of a warm seat is New Jersey Devils General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Tom Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald has been with the Devils since July 24, 2015, when he was named assistant general manager. He took over as interim GM on Jan. 12, 2020, when the Devils fired former GM Ray Shero. Fitzgerald, a Massachusetts native, most recently led the Devils to an early offseason after losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games during the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
To be fair, Fitzgerald battled a hell of a lot of injuries on his roster and still got them to the playoffs; unlike their Hudson River rivals, the New York Rangers, who didn't even make it the very year after winning the Presidents' Trophy. But still, the Devils not making it to at least the second round is a tough pill to swallow for fans.
Here are three reasons why Fitzgerald's seat isn't exactly a cool temperature going into the 2025-26 season.
3. A Poor Postseason History
New Jersey has a somewhat rich history when it comes to the National Hockey League postseason. From 1983, the Devils have made the playoffs a total of 24 times over 42 seasons (over 50%) and have had championship years in 1995, 2000 and 2003.
As previously mentioned, Fitzgerald has been a member of the coaching staff since 2015. For the past 10 seasons since he's been on board, the Devils have only made the playoffs a mere three times which featured only one playoff series win for a 44.4 winning percentage.
Needless to say, these numbers aren't exactly in his favor.
2. Wrong Thought Process Towards Roster
On May 8th, Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe and Fitzgerald met with the media to discuss the end of the season. While here, Fitzgerald said he's planning to shake up the New Jersey roster in a major way.
"We won't be coming back with the same group because it was just not good enough."Tom Fitzgerald
Could the guys have played better? Sure. Is some of the responsibility on the players for their failure to advance very far in the playoffs? Absolutely.
But the fact remains that the Devils have some of the best players in the NHL on their roster. This includes but isn't limited to Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Timo Meier. It feels like it's pretty safe to say that avoiding responsibility and putting most of the blame on the players isn't the best attitude for an NHL general manager.
1. Offensive Weakness
Many of Fitzgerald's decisions after the trade of Tyler Toffoli and the injury of Jack Hughes were questionable at best. The Devils' lack of offensive production has been a big, glaring hole for the franchise.
As the season went on and the problem continued and/or worsened, it's only natural to question Fitzgerald's ability to address the problem.
Bonus — The Possibility of Messing Up Luke Hughes' New Contract
Now, this is not likely to happen and is a pure hypothetical, but is still somewhat in the realm of possibility. Defenseman Luke Hughes is one the most talented defenseman the Devils have on their roster. He's also only 21-years-old, meaning he has huge potential for growth in his already-high skillset. But, his contract needs an extension.
Luke Hughes's current contract with the New Jersey Devils is a three-year, entry-level deal signed on April 8, 2023. And while he is not currently eligible for an offer sheet, as he is considered a "10.2.c" player due to not reaching 10 games played in his first year, he still needs a new offer.
Should Fitzgerald give Luke a low-ball offer and all hell breaks loose, I can only see that as being the last straw for the fanbase.