{"id":558373,"date":"2026-04-23T06:09:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T06:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/558373\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T06:09:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T06:09:50","slug":"the-writing-was-on-the-wall-for-tom-fitzgerald-after-failed-new-jersey-devils-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/558373\/","title":{"rendered":"The writing was on the wall for Tom Fitzgerald after failed New Jersey Devils season"},"content":{"rendered":"

News broke on Monday evening regarding the dismissal of Tom Fitzgerald <\/a>as the New Jersey Devils’ GM and executive vice-president really didn\u2019t come as much of a shock as most would have imagined. The writing was on the wall for the 57-year-old executive. The Devils became a lame-duck team this season. The Devils were one of the teams most pundits picked to make it out of the Metro Division. <\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t the case. <\/p>\n

Instead, the Devils sank to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. But this year\u2019s mess wasn\u2019t the sole reason for Fitzegerald\u2019s decision. His firing is the result of one mess after another piling up. <\/p>\n

Just look at Ondrej Palat\u2019s contract. Fitzgerald signed the depth forward to a five-year deal in the 2022 offseason, hoping the former Tampa Bay Lightning could infuse some punch into the lineup. <\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t go well. In the end, the Devils paid the New York Islanders to take Palat off their hands. Then, there\u2019s the Dougie Hamilton mess. Fitzgerald signed Hamilton to that massive contract, and then found himself unable to trade him.<\/p>\n

Those are just two questionable moves. We could go down the list and look at Jacob Markstrom, Evgenii Dadonov, and even Nick Bjugstad.<\/p>\n

Those moves are just some of the questionable maneuvers that factored into the Devils\u2019 current situation. And because of those moves, the Devils found themselves hamstrung, unable to bring in reinforcement at the trade deadline due to the lack of cap space.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another move that likely influenced Monday\u2019s decision<\/p>\n

Sheldon Keefe hung over the Devils and Fitzgerald<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald made a coaching change ahead of last season, bringing in the recently canned Sheldon Keefe<\/a>. In his first season, it seemed that things were heading in the right direction. The Devils were a playoff team, claiming third spot in the Metro Division. <\/p>\n

The first-round exit at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes stung, but it was an encouraging step forward.<\/p>\n

That next step didn\u2019t materialize this season. The Devils have gone from 91 points to 83. Even if they got back to 91, that won\u2019t be close enough to a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

That situation has led to questions about replacing Keefe. Whether or not that happens, that\u2019s another story entirely. But what is clear is that Keefe is on Fitzgerald.<\/p>\n

To make matters worse, Lindy Ruff, the coach Fitzgerald fired ahead of hiring Keefe, has gone on to blossom in Buffalo, of all places. Ruff returned to his former stomping grounds and turned the Sabres from a laughingstock into one of the NHL\u2019s best teams.<\/p>\n

The decision to fire Fitzgerald was not news to anyone paying attention. If anything, he was a dead man walking following this year\u2019s trade deadline.<\/p>\n

The Devils will now need to figure out who could replace him. That situation won\u2019t be easy, particularly with the Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs also looking to fill their GM vacancies.<\/p>\n

It will be an interesting offseason for the Devils as they have so much riding on the line. And another rebuild is completely out of the question.<\/p>\n

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