This summer’s free agency period could determine Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s fate past next season.

After he failed to fix the Devils’ secondary scoring at the trade deadline, the Devils were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes this week. Fitzgerald’s seat will be hotter seat if he doesn’t nail this free agency group.

The Devils’ clear need when free agency begins on July 1 is goal scoring — both on the top line and depth lines.

Here are the top targets Fitzgerald should chase in free agency, grouped into tiers of priority.

Tier 1: Priority stars

The Devils will need to win a bidding war for these players.

Brock Boeser, wing

Boeser can be the top-line goal scorer the Devils need next to Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. He, like the rest of the Canucks this year, had a down season with 25 goals and 25 assists. Boeser, 28, has a 40-goal season on his resume two years ago, and despite the Devils’ desperate need for secondary scoring, should be Fitzgerald’s priority target this summer. He made $6.65 million this season.

Ryan Donato, center

Donato should have been a player the Devils went all in for at the trade deadline. Since they didn’t, free agency will do. Donato had a career-high on a poor Blackhawks team with 31 goals and 31 assists. Both marks were more than double his previous career highs.

Donato will surely get interest from teams as a top-six center, but if he joins New Jersey, the Devils will have one of the best center trios in the NHL. He made $2 million this season.

Tier 2: Underrated

Pius Suter, center

Suter quietly had 25 goals and 46 points for the Canucks this season. Only Nico Hischier, Hughes and Timo Meier had more on the Devils. If the Devils miss out on another center, Suter, 28, would still be a great new third-liner. Plus, the Devils have plenty of Swiss teammates he could join forces with. He earned $1.6 last season.

Tier 3: One-year veterans

Kyle Palmieri, wing

Palmieri is a familiar face Devils fans wouldn’t mind seeing score goals again. He played for the Devils from 2015-21 and then spent the past four seasons with the Islanders. Palmieri, 34, is past his prime, but can realistically score 20-plus goals on the Devils’ middle-six lines. He earned $5 million last season.

James van Riemsdyk, wing

Van Riemsdyk would also be making a homecoming should he sign with the Devils. He was born in Middletown. Now 36, van Riemsdyk is still a net-front presence. He scored 16 goals and shot a career-high 18.8% last season. That percentage may not be replicable, but he’d be an upgrade on the Devils’ fourth line. He earned $900,000 last season.

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Gabriel Trevino can be reached at GTrevino@njadvancemedia.com or on X @GabeCTrevino