1. Fix the salary cap situation
According to a NHL/NHLPA memo announced on Jan. 31st, the salary cap ceiling is expected to rise to $95.5 million next season, with two more large jumps in the subsequent seasons, up to at least $113.5 million by 2027-28. Should Fitzgerald and the Devils take full advantage of this, the Devils could have core players Jack and Jesper Bratt locked up all the way until 2030 and 2031, respectively.
"The cap under the current guidelines in the Collective Bargaining Agreement would go up 5 percent," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said on Dec. 10. "As we look at revenues, we're going to have discussions with the Players' Association about escrow levels and whether or not the cap can or should be tweaked a little more on an ongoing basis, but that's something that we have to really work out with the Players' Association and we're having those discussions."
The Devils really need to address their salary cap situation to improve the roster and maintain that competitive edge. They have several veteran players on pricey contracts that don't fully contribute, leaving them with limited cap space to address needs.
Obviously, this and everything else needs to be fixed ASAP to get the Devils back up in the standings of NHL franchises.