Pucks and Pitchforks
Fansided

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?
ByCharlie Borges Jr.|
Dallas Stars v New Jersey Devils
Dallas Stars v New Jersey Devils | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
6 of 7

Teams with Four Trades

  • Boston Bruins
  • Montreal Canadiens
  • New York Islanders

Three teams have traded four times with the Devils and Tom Fitzgerald. The Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Islanders share the second-place title with the most common trades. The trades with the Bruins and Canadiens do not have as much weight as the Islanders' deals.

The Bruins deals have two minor deals. Reilly Walsh is going to Boston for Shane Bowers, and Marc McLaughlin is coming to New Jersey for Daniil Misyul. One of the other two involved the Trent Frederic trade in which the Devils were the brokers, sending Frederic to Edmonton.

The most important trade with the Bruins saw Pavel Zacha go to Boston for Erik Haula. Zacha, the number six overall selection in the 2015 draft, never realized his full potential in New Jersey. Haula, who was with the Devils until right before the 2025 draft, provided depth in the Devils run in the 2023 playoffs.

Two of the four trades with the Canadiens were minor deals as well. The Devils acquired Andrew Hammond for Nate Schnarr, a deal everyone would like to forget. The Devils also acquired Nathan Legare for Arnaud Durandeau, a name we will see again.

The other two trades involved players the Devils have recently extended. Jake Allen was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline for a third-round pick. The other trade had the Devils sending a conditional sixth-round pick for Jonathan Kovacevic.

Now. The Islanders.

Like the Bruins and Canadiens, two of the four had no real consequences. Adam Beckman was sent to New York for current defenseman Dennis Cholowski. The other had Tyce Thompson leave New Jersey for the aforementioned Durandeau.

The other two were, at the time, the biggest trades in the entire career of Tom Fitzgerald. In two separate deals, the Devils traded away fan favorites and a team captain. Andy Greene, Kyle Palmieri, and Travis Zajac all joined the Islanders for a total of three players and three draft picks. One of those picks became Chase Stillman, and one was flipped for Ryan Graves.

Home/Devils News