Tom Fitzgerald's most common trade partners and how it can tell us about the New Jersey Devils' offseason

The beginning of NHL Free Agency has been slower this year than in previous years due to other teams keeping their players before the opening of the signing period. Many insiders believe that the trade market will be the primary means by which most teams improve. Can we see who the Devils will deal with based off of Fitzgerald's previous trades?
Dallas Stars v New Jersey Devils
Dallas Stars v New Jersey Devils | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
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Teams with Three Trades

  • Washington Capitals
  • Calgary Flames

There are only two teams that have made three trades with Tom Fitzgerald and the New Jersey Devils. Those two teams are the Calgary Flames and the Washington Capitals.

Two out of the three trades with the Flames were significant ones. The one that was not involved the Chris Tanev trade to Dallas, in which the Devils sent Cole Brady to the Flames as a broker for the Stars.

The first trade with Calgary sent Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick for Tyler Toffoli. Toffoli was successful for the Devils in terms of scoring goals; however, the team did not perform well, and the Devils traded him at the trade deadline.

The second trade with the Flames was the Jacob Markstrom blockbuster last summer that netted the Devils their number one goalie. The Devils sent defenseman Kevin Bahl, who just signed a massive extension, and a first-round pick. The Flames selected Cole Reschny with that selection.

The same can be said about the trades with the Washington Capitals. Two out of the three trades with the Capitals saw significant additions to the Devils' roster, and one that does not matter right now. The one that does not involve roster players was a pick swap in the 2024 draft.

The first trade Fitzgerald made with the Capitals had the Devils trading a third-round pick, one that Ray Shero acquired from Arizona for Taylor Hall, for Jonas Siegenthaler. Siegenthaler has become the Devils' best defensive defenseman and key to what they are trying to do on their back end.

The second trade saw the Devils acquire goalie Vitek Vanecek and a second-round pick for two draft picks. Vanecek helped carry the Devils to a playoff berth during the 2022-23 season, a season in which they set the franchise record in wins and points. Although Vanecek is gone, the second-round pick the Devils got? They used it to select Seamus Casey.