Last week, I questioned if the coaching staff of the New Jersey Devils should feel secure about their jobs. In that article, I also briefly mentioned how it is General Manager Tom Fitzgerald’s job to do something as well; after all, heading coaching hires (and to some extent, the assistants) are his decision. The Devils are still struggling even after numerous players have gotten healthy and returned while completing a month of play where they went just 5-9-1 in 15 games, getting a lowly 11 points of a possible 30. Worse still is the fact that they lost games to many teams who are middling in the standings as much as they are; swinging those games could’ve cured the team’s ills and this article wouldn’t even be a thought right now.
Yet sadly, here we are; 11 points out of 30 is simply unacceptable for a team that had plans and expectations to be dueling with Carolina for the division crown. Instead, the team enters an idle day today outside of the playoff picture in a very crowded pack in terms of points. The East is a bit crazy this season, as right now there’s only 11 points between the best teams and the last place Blue Jackets. Heck, the Devils are only two points out of a playoff spot and seven off of Carolina for top of the division. Yet in a month where they could have accrued points and solidified their standing in the Metro’s playoff spots, they struggled to put together anything worth watching on most nights, resulting in an uphill climb as 2026 begins.
Sure, there’s blame to be had by players and coaches, but the GM assembles the roster that they have to work with, and ownership has stayed committed to the current GM. While early season play had myself and others excited about the team’s depth, those good feelings have subsided, and in the case of some players, they’ve evaporated. Multiple injuries to Evgenii Dadonov have limited him to five games and zero points; for someone who was seen as a guy who could slot into the first, second or third line as needed, losing him meant guys moving into slots they shouldn’t be moving into and combinations that worked in preseason or certain sets of games having to be divided.
Fitz is responsible for signing Ondrej Palat seasons ago, a contract that many were worried would age like milk from the moment it was announced. Well, that deal has aged more like rotten fish submerged in said milk, and yet Fitz allows Coach Sheldon Keefe to keep using Palat and his eight points in 40 games in the Top 6. Fitz also brought in Luke Glendening, who did play well enough to earn a contract off of his PTO, but Glendening has been underwhelming to put it lightly. He could’ve been waived at this point with no one batting an eye. Don’t get me started on Juho Lammikko, a player who has been worse than Glendening yet was signed to a standard contract this summer to come back to the NHL after years away. The Stefan Noesen deal is also starting to look questionable; while Noesen was a strong contributor last season, he only has seven points in 34 games this year an has been relegated to the fourth line on most nights.
I will give Fitz some credit though. Connor Brown is having a pretty good season for the team with 17 points in 33 games. He’s also contributed most of that in a limited role and only one of his points came from special teams play, with it being a shorthanded goal. I will also credit him for getting Arseny Gritsyuk to come over; while Gritsis having some growing pains adjusting to the NHL, he also has 17 points albeit in 36 games. These are two moves that were made to compliment the Devils’ core players and these two have actually been helping the team. Unfortunately, there’s more misses than hits overall.
Maybe ownership is waiting to see how this season plays out to determine if Fitz stays or goes. I think a playoff miss could be the end of Fitz as Devils GM. Let me be clear: I do not want the team to go down that path. I want them to figure out what they can do to be a fast, effective, dangerous team again. However if this team really isn’t as good on the ice as they appeared to be on paper, than like I said last week changes need to be made. A new GM would probably mean a new coaching staff to meet that GM’s vision, so again maybe everyone should be worried.
That is, if ownership is paying attention, which I why I made mention of them in the title as well. Devils fans have observed that team management has tended to be a bit…hands off at times. I’m sure the Devils aren’t the only team in that boat, but it’s more noticeable when things are not going according to plan. Team owners also typically don’t care if their team is struggling until it affects one thing: their wallet. Tickets to games for most professional sports teams are already pricy and while the Devils aren’t the worst, it’s still a decent chunk of change, especially if you want to sit in the lower seats. Those lower seats are the ones that get seen on TV, and if they’re not being purchased, not only does it reflect poorly on ownership, but it also starts hitting their wallet. I’m not sitting here saying boycott Devils games until ownership wakes up, but I am saying that people are not going to continue to pay these prices for a middling or worse team: the wallet effect will happen organically if the on ice product continues to be below standard.
I know the Devils are struggling right now while also statistically being one of the unluckier teams in the league at this point in time. Maybe some of the negatives will course correct naturally as shooting percentages even out and bounces go the Devils way. Yet that still should not let Fitz and, by extent, management off the hook for some of the decisions that he’s made. Even decisions made in seemingly good faith that did not pan out have to start being weighed against him. Good intentions don’t win championships and if the Devils’ contention window with this core is open like everyone says, then middling results from the team halfway through the season should be enough for some changes to be made. Right now things remain status quo, but if the team doesn’t turn things around, something needs to be done soon.
Because if it isn’t and ownership loses any possible playoff revenue, then maybe management and coaching see a lot of people being let go come this offseason.
What are your thoughts on management and ownership needing to be held accountable for the Devils current play; do you put this more on one of the other? Are you still a fan of Tom Fitzgerald or do you think it’s time for a new voice and vision for the team? Is it going to take fans not showing up and the team continuing to play poorly for changes to be made? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!