5 Mistakes New Jersey Devils and Tom Fitzgerald Must Avoid This Offseason
The New Jersey Devils are facing their most important offseason in a long time. There are some mistakes Tom Fitzgerald must avoid at all costs.
The New Jersey Devils season is over, and there is a lot to do. Tom Fitzgerald is going to be busy. He was busy last season, with a lot more unrestricted free agents and contributors to evaluate. Fitz had to say goodbye to franchise mainstays like Miles Wood and Damon Severson, putting some of the young players as the longest-tenured Devils players on the roster.
Despite not many UFA decisions coming up the pike, this is going to be Tom Fitzgerald’s most important offseason. See, the Devils massively disappointed this season, and they need major upgrades at multiple positions. They also don’t have a head coach in place. There is a lot to do, but Fitzgerald has to prioritize. So, where does he have to start?
He has to make sure that more than anything, he doesn’t make mistakes. Nobody should think he’s on the hot seat today, but another lost season would set his seat on fire.
1. Pick The Wrong Coach
This is BY FAR the most important decision that Tom Fitzgerald has to make this offseason. Whether he goes after someone who’s been looking for a job since they lost their last one or someone who could lose their job in the next few weeks, the Devils need to find the perfect head coach.
This head coach needs to find out why the power play failed at the end of the season or why the defense took 11 steps back. He or she must direct the Devils in down times and find out why they turtled in crucial moments this past season. They need to get the most out of the team’s stars while putting depth players in a position to succeed. Most of all, they need to discipline the right way, holding everyone to the same standard.
Travis Green is going to get every chance to interview for the head coaching position, but after a pretty paltry end to the season, not many fans would be excited about that decision. The Devils need someone who’s going to win them a Stanley Cup. Fitzgerald can’t make a mistake here.
2. Finding the Wrong Goalie
Yeah, we all knew this was coming. The Devils have known they need a goalie since last season ended after a Round 2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. We all hoped Vitek Vanecek didn’t lose his confidence in the playoffs and Akira Schmid could sustain what he showed last season, but neither was likely.
Fitzgerald tried to trade for a goalie all season. He wasn’t able to get a trade partner until literally hours until the NHL Trade Deadline. There, he traded for Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen. They were both much better than anything the Devils had going for them outside for a short Nico Daws stint before he was overused.
Now, Fitzgerald must decide what to do at the position. Allen is signed through next season. Kahkonen is an unrestricted free agent. Vanecek was part of the trade with the Sharks, so he’s not something the Devils have to address this year. Daws and Schmid are both in need of new contracts, and it will be intriguing how the Devils address their situation.
It’s likely the Devils go big-game hunting. Fitzgerald has said as much. Barry Trotz has said as much about Fitzgerald. Will Juuse Saros be on the Devils? Is Jakob Markstrom, whose very public waving of his no-trade clause for the Devils made this very awkward in Calgary, the most likely option? Those are the two top options, but there are others. Who will be starting for the Devils on opening night? We expect to know sooner rather than later.
3. Re-Sign Brendan Smith
On this week’s Let’s Go Devils Podcast, the topic of Brendan Smith’s contract came up. There, the discussion turned to the one scenario where signing Brendan Smith makes sense. If they sign him to be the Devils 13th forward and some penalty kill duties, then sure. However, we don’t trust the Devils to avoid playing Smith on defense for large stretches of the season.
Smith is incredible in the room, a great leader, a smart player, and a fantastic interview. These are qualities that the Devils should prioritize. Unfortunately, Smith just isn’t good in any role on the defensive end. His drop in skillset has caused mistakes. He takes too many penalties, and while he knows where he’s supposed to be on the ice, he has trouble getting there at times.
Smith had 20 minor penalties taken at 5v5 according to Natural Stat Trick. What’s worse is he took three more minor penalties while he was killing a penalty, pushing the Devils to a 5on3 disadvantage.
We are all preparing for the announcement that the Devils are re-signing Smith. It’s something that just shouldn’t happen, but we worry Fitzgerald will fall into the pitfall. Unless there is understanding across the board about what the Devils should do with Smith on the ice, he should play someone else next year.
4. Go All-In On Grit
We talked about this in the context of the Toronto Maple Leafs a few weeks ago, but the Devils cannot make their fatal flaw. They need to go after the right type of player who provides grit. They can’t go after the Ryan Reeves or Matt Rempe types. They have short-term value with no long-term upside in this environment. Fitzgerald already said he wants to re-sign Kurtis MacDermid, which is slightly worrisome. While we appreciate the feeling MacDermid brings in the locker room, he took way too many penalties on the ice.
If the Devils go after too many players based on grit alone, then it will put them in a position where the lineup doesn’t fit. They would have to force square pegs in round holes.
The Devils did have the right pieces in place last season. Michael McLeod, Miles Wood, Nathan Bastian, and others didn’t find themselves playing at the end of this season for the Devils for different reasons. Now, the Devils need to replace at least two of them.
Yet, if they go for players that have grit as their main component, it will lead to simple exposure when they are on the ice. If they aren’t causing a turnover, it will be likely they let in a goal. Does this team need to play better defense? Absolutely, but it’s all about a change in philosophy that should come with a new head coach and staff.
Grit is important, but so is scoring. The Devils can’t sacrifice one for the other. This roster construction needs to be perfect.
5. Keep This Current Defensive Unit
This one is underrated, but the New Jersey Devils technically have six starting defensemen signed for next season. However, even with the natural progression of players like Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, the Devils should not rest on the laurels of this defense. After fielding one of the better defensive units in hockey in 2022-23, this unit ended up being one of the worst.
We’ve talked a lot about how the goalies must be better next season, but the defenders didn’t help things this season. Jonas Siegenthaler and John Marino took multiple steps back. Smith did as well. Dougie Hamilton missed most of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. The Devils need upgrades this offseason.
Should the Devils spend big on a defenseman this offseason? It would be nice, but it would take away from the budget they have allocated for upgrades at forward and in net.
It’s a delicate balance, but repeating this year's issues would be a mistake. Some money has to be used on the defense, and adding a depth guy won’t be enough. The Devils need to target a starter.
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