With training camp just a few weeks away, most teams appear to be done with upgrading their rosters to compete in 2025-26. While Luke Hughes has yet to be extended, it appears that New Jersey Devils' general manager Tom Fitzgerald is done making moves...for now. With that being said, I wanted to get fans' overall thoughts on Fitzgerald and how they feel about the job he's done building this team.
As always, fans of the red and black gave some great responses, and I'm excited to respond to them. Let's dive in, shall we?
1. From @ZachBrettBerman
Good rebuilding GM but not a guy that’s going to take you over the hump. We’ve reached the point where this group needs to take steps that I’m not sure a Tom Fitzgerald team is capable of taking.
— Zach Berman (@ZachBrettBerman) August 16, 2025
Hindsight is 20/20 but I think he should’ve been a package firing with Lindy.
While Fitzgerald has made positive moves to get the Devils where they are currently, he has more work to do to get back in the good graces of a majority of the fanbase. Zach is right in that this team needs to take a major step forward in contention. While they made the playoffs two of the previous three seasons, the reality is that New Jersey hasn't made it past the first round in 12 of the last 13 years.
Even though injuries have been a factor, there are other factors that Fitzgerald either made or did not make that have kept the team from truly contending for a Stanley Cup. Fitzgerald can still improve the team, but he needs to do so sooner rather than later.
2. From @PatBoooooth
First round drafting has been suspect so far. (Stillman, Holtz being the huge misses). Free agency has been ok at best (Palat being a huge black eye). But overall he’s built a team that can reliably contend for the division for at least another 3 years
— Pat Booth (@PatBoooooth) August 16, 2025
Pat pointed out two of the several areas that every general manager gets evaluated on. When it comes to drafting, it's been a mixed bag. He has drafted guys like Luke Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Simon Nemec, and Nico Daws, who have made impacts for the Devils.
However, he's had his fair share of flops. Pat brings up two obvious ones. The first is Alexander Holtz, who was drafted sixth overall in 2020 and never reached the potential he had as a goal scorer. He was eventually traded to Vegas last summer. The other is Chase Stillman, who certainly is looked at as a major reach when picked at #29 overall in 2021. He would never make it to the NHL with the Devils and is still floundering in the AHL, now with the Vancouver Canucks, his third organization in less than a year.
In free agency, he's made some decent signings like Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce, but some others, and one in particular, have not panned out and are currently hurting the team.
Ondrej Palat will most likely go down as Fitzgerald's worst signing. He was the backup option in 2022 after the late Johnny Gaudreau picked the Columbus Blue Jackets over New Jersey. Palat has struggled to be a consistent top-six winger at this stage of his career and is not playing at a $6 million per year level. Fitzgerald has much more success when it comes to trading, and I believe that if Fitzgerald wants to fill the holes I mentioned earlier, he'll most likely do it via the trade market.
3. From @extremelygoofyj
Tom has done a solid job building this roster and has signed a few really great contracts. I don't like that he seems to have trouble taking a big swing this off-season when we REALLY need a top 6 wing
— Goof juice (@extremelygoofyj) August 16, 2025
Fitzgerald has indeed signed several great contracts. This includes the best contract of value in the entire league in Jack Hughes. He also had made several big trades for impact pieces like Jacob Markstrom, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Timo Meier. However, there is a good argument that he has not been as aggressive at times as he should. We've seen several cup-contending teams, like the two-time champion Florida Panthers, GM Bill Zito, make a major move that pushed the needle for the team to win.
The Devils still need two more players added at premium positions, and the longer that doesn't get resolved, the less confidence much of the Devils' fanbase will have in Fitzgerald. If he wants to get this team to another level, he must make an impact move for someone. Who that is exactly is up for debate, but it's time for the Devils' general manager to be more aggressive and take risks with potential high rewards to upgrade his team.
4. From @BackhandedDevil
Is Fitz too soft to make the cut throat moves that has to be made?
— Backhanded Devil (@BackhandedDevil) August 16, 2025
Continuing from my last response, this has arguably been the biggest knock that Fitzgerald has received from the fan base. While again, Fitzgerald has made many moves, some more aggressive than others, he has not made the one that would potentially rock the core of the team. Again, Zito did that just a few years ago, sending Jonathan Huberdeau and other assets to the Calgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk. This, after the team won the President's Trophy the year before, and then was knocked out of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Does Fitzgerald need to make an exact move like that? Not necessarily, but he needs to get another impact player into this team. Particularly on the top-six winger hole. He needs to make changes, rather than completely overhauling the team every year, expecting a different result. Now, they do need to stay healthy, but Fitzgerald has to also add more firepower and put his team in the best possible position to contend as well as win a Stanley Cup.
Many more people had things to say, but the consensus is pretty much the same. Tom Fitzgerald has done a lot of good for this team and has positioned them to contend for several more years. However, the time is now to strike and give his team the best chance to win. This includes being more aggressive and active. Training camp is right around the corner, but there's still time for him to do more. We shall have to wait and see what transpires.