Tom Fitzgerald has been an executive who doesn't always mince words. Don't get us wrong; he's calculated in what he says and works hard to keep himself and the New Jersey Devils out of trouble, but he tries his best to be direct with the media, and in turn, the fans. With that comes risk. He often speaks from the heart and says what actually happened, like when he revealed he "came in second" during the NHL Trade Deadline for a big player.
On Thursday, as he and Sheldon Keefe addressed the media for their end-of-season media availability, Fitzgerald addressed the team's medical and training staff after a year full of injuries, the contract status of Brian Dumoulin and Jake Allen, and what needs to be done to make sure this team doesn't get knocked out in the first round again. However, it was one quote that has Devils fans wondering about Fitzgerald's thought process.
The Devils, of course, had a serious depth scoring problem in the second half of the season. While players like Paul Cotter, Stefan Noesen, and Ondrej Palat added some depth scoring in the first half of the season, only four players had 10 goals after January 1st. Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Timo Meier are expected to hit 10+ goals in each half of the season. Dawson Mercer should be there as well.
Tom Fitzgerald did not help his case when he asked, "What is depth scoring?"
For that to be the only ones who hit that threshold is unacceptable. Too many players were scoring at a paltry rate. Some other teams had similar struggles. The Carolina Hurricanes also had issues scoring in the new year, with just two players putting up 10+ goals in 2025, but they had Seth Jarvis on absolute fire (23 goals post New Year), and Sebastian Aho netting a ton (17). Taylor Hall was a midseason acquisition who put up nine in 31 games for Carolina. Rookie Jackson Blake put up nine goals himself in the second half. They also had defensive stalwart Jordan Staal with nine second-half goals.
Meanwhile, the Devils were scrambling for goals. Daniel Sprong failed to score after the Devils traded for him. Cody Glass fell off after a small injury derailed his momentum. Jesper Bratt was playing well, but they needed him to score more.
So when Tom Fitzgerald asks in a joking manner about depth scoring, it can be frustrating for fans. They want answers. Instead, they got sarcastic questions. Depth scoring is absolutely necessary for this team, and it couldn't be more obvious. Noesen and Cotter were great stories in the first half, but the Devils need players who can step up when they inevitably go on a cold streak. Downstream scoring comes from all six players in the bottom six.
The comment is not as important as action. If Fitzgerald makes the right moves this offseason, this comment will come off as the joke that it was intended. However, if he doesn't get the players he or the fans want, this quote will come back to bite him.