The New Jersey Devils were supposed to be in the playoff picture this season and potentially contend for the Stanley Cup. Instead, the Devils massively underperformed this season, and all of the attention is on team president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald for the team’s failures. Fans want Fitzgerald gone as general manager, and they’re not entirely sure that the team will meet their demands.
There is some new intel surrounding Fitzgerald’s status with the team.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos said that “some are wondering” if Devils owners will look to break up both of Fitzgerald’s titles and hire someone else to be president of hockey operations. That would then allow Fitzgerald to stay on as GM for another year for evaluation. But Kypreos notes that Fitzgerald is preparing for the worst when it comes to his job security.
Tom Fitzgerald ‘preparing for the worst’ with job security with Devils in question
“It will be interesting to see if the Devils do look to hire someone solely for the president of hockey operations title this summer, and whether that would allow Fitzgerald to stick around for at least one more season as GM and assess him from there,” writes Kypreos. “The feeling in New Jersey is that Fitzgerald is preparing for the worst, knowing he’s on the hot seat.”
The pressure will certain be dialed up by Devils fans, considering one of the other underperforming teams in the Eastern Conference just fired their general manager. That is, of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who fired Brad Treliving as general manager on Monday. Much like the Devils, the Maple Leafs were in the playoffs last year, and are nowhere near close to qualifying this time around.
Fitzgerald has held onto this role since 2020 after replacing Ray Shero. During his time, he made some questionable draft picks, free agent signings, and trades. Perhaps the most damning is that the Devils have a generational superstar in Jack Hughes, who is in his prime, and never even got close to the Stanley Cup Final. Since Fitzgerald took over, the Devils made the playoffs twice. In the 2022-23 season, they defeated the New York Rangers in seven games in the first round, before losing in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes. Then, last year, the Devils were eliminated in the first round, once again by the Hurricanes in five games.
It is up to Devils ownership to decide at the end of the season if Fitzgerald is worth keeping around. If the Devils are to interview candidates for team president, Fitzgerald’s fate could ultimately be sealed if none of their top choices want to work alongside him.
Whatever does come, Fitzgerald seems ready to get the notification of his dismissal, based on the intel Kypreos gathered.