NEWARK − The New Jersey Devils ended the season with a disappointing first-round playoff exit, which president/general manager Tom Fitzgerald addressed in his first public comments since the team’s elimination.

“When you look back, it was disappointing being knocked out in five games,” said Fitzgerald to the media on May 8. “It was a good year. Was it a great year? No.”

Fitzgerald was joined by coach Sheldon Keefe, who was hired by the organization last May and took the Devils to the postseason in his first year in charge. Keefe has never missed the playoffs during his time as an NHL head coach. That streak remains alive, but Keefe made it clear that expectations remain heightened.

“To me, there is a foundation here now,” Keefe said. “There’s an expectation in terms of what the standard is now. Not just to make the playoffs, but all of the things that go into it to be a team that can compete in the playoffs.”

Keefe was pleased with the effort put forth by the team despite a long list of injuries, but the overall result of an early elimination did not sit well with the veteran coach.

“We finished 16th out of 32 teams,” Keefe said. “That’s average. We’re not here to be average.”

‘We won’t be coming back with the same group’

With eight unrestricted free agents and three restricted free agents on the current roster, this is an important offseason. Fitzgerald did not mince words.

“We’re not bringing back the same roster,” he said. “It simply wasn’t good enough. I believe in the core of this team, but it’s my responsibility to keep improving it. We’ve got a lot of tough choices ahead, whether that means re-signing players, making trades, or moving on from certain guys.”

One of the team’s pending unrestricted free agents who was brought up was goalie Jake Allen, traded to the Devils last March for a third-round pick in the 2025 draft. Allen had four shutouts among his 13 wins, earning a 2.66 goals against average and a save percentage of .908.

Another player discussed is restricted free agent Luke Hughes, who ended his season in the playoffs with a shoulder injury. Hughes had successful shoulder surgery earlier in the week and is expected to be ready for training camp.

According to Fitzgerald, Hughes opted for surgery despite it not being required in order to rehab in the offseason.

Fitzgerald mum on Hughes brothers rumors

During the 40-minute press conference with the media, Fitzgerald and Keefe spoke on a variety of players, but one player that was not talked about was Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes.

The brother of Devils players Jack and Luke, rumors continue to surface of all three potentially playing on the same team.

Quinn has two years remaining on a contract in Vancouver, but that has not stopped Canucks president Jim Rutherford from commenting on the situation and mentioning Jack and Luke by name. Fitzgerald, however, would not mention Quinn as it borders on violation of the league’s tampering rules.

“You’d have to ask Jim about that,” Fitzgerald said.

Jesper Bratt’s shoulder surgery explained

The most surprising news to come out of the early offseason was that winger Jesper Bratt was among the Devils players undergoing shoulder surgery.

Bratt played in all but one game during the regular season and playoffs and set a franchise record with 67 assists.

Fitzgerald explained that Bratt has had a shoulder issue for multiple seasons now and undergoes annual MRIs after each season to check the status. Bratt opted for surgery in order to heal now and be ready for training camp.

Fitzgerald also noted that the timing of the surgery also hints at Bratt’s desire to play in the Olympics next summer.

Lenni Hämeenaho coming soon

Before free agency begins on July 1, Devils fans have been getting an early glimpse at some of the new players the organization is bringing in. Shane LaChance and Arseniy Gritsyuk recently signed entry level contracts after LaChance completed his collegiate career and Gritsyuk ended his time in the KHL.

Thursday revealed that another foreign prospect is coming to New Jersey.

Lenni Hämeenaho was a second-round draft pick of the Devils in the 2023 NHL Draft, but the 20-year old continued to play in Finland. Hämeenaho will be part of Team Finland in the upcoming World Championships, but Fitzgerald alluded to the idea that the forward would be signing an entry-level contract with the Devils in the coming days.

When asked if the organization felt Hämeenaho would be coming to North America soon, Fitzgerald said, “We will be making an announcement shortly.”

Shortly after the press conference, the Devils made that announcement, revealing that Hämeenaho has inked a three-year, entry level contract.