Devils GM Reveals Plan to Begin Contract Talks with Key Pending Free Agents

NEWARK—New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has a plan for his pending free agents.

Up front, the Devils are locked in. This summer, Fitzgerald doesn’t have any key forwards to worry about in terms of expiring contracts. However, on the blueline, he does have a couple of expiring deals he’ll need to address, including one he didn’t believe would be so key just a few months ago.

Johnathan Kovacevic is a player that Fitzgerald bought from the Montreal Canadiens at a cheap cost. The plan—originally—was that Kovacevic would serve as the Devils’ seventh defenseman, showing decent mechanics in his two full season’s previous to 2024-25.

However, injuries to both Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce opened the door for more minutes, and Kovacevic made a name for himself.

“With Jonathan, he took advantage of an opportunity,” Fitzgerald explained to New Jersey Hockey Now in an elated tone. “With Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes out of the lineup at the start of the year, he took full advantage of it, and he hasn’t looked back at all.”

MORE: Devils Head Coach Compares Evolving Jack Hughes to Maple Leafs Superstar

We’re just days away from the NHL roster freeze and a short holiday break. When asked if Fitzgerald was going to address Kovacevic’s pending unrestricted free agent status, he explained that will be starting soon.

“Yes, contracts up. We all knew this. I’ll probably start having conversations with his agent after the new year, after the holidays, just to see where they’re at,” Fitzgerald said to NJHN. “But the at the end of the day, you said it, we’ve got replacements, but he’s played really well. He’s fitting great with us. I believe he really enjoys it here, so we’ll see.”

When both Hughes and Pesce returned, Kovacevic remained in the lineup. His play next to Jonas Siegenthaler was too strong to remove from the lineup. As a result, they have remained one of the NHLs top defensive duos.

However, Kovacevic isn’t the only one on the blueline who has been surprisingly, and increasingly, strong defensively.

We all know the potential that Luke Hughes possesses. However, to see his defensive game take such great strides from one season to the next was perhaps unexpected.

The interesting note from Fitzgerald on Hughes’ pending restricted free agent status was particularly interesting.

“If a person’s contract is up at the end of the year, can they perform with the pressures of maybe no talks,” Fitzgerald explained to NJHN.

That’s quite the intriguing concept, and one that makes a good bit of sense for a young player. Especially when your older brother signed an eight-year, $64 million extension when his entry-level contract expired.

As for when Fitzgerald is aiming to begin conversations, it seems his plan is aligned with both of his key pending free agent defensemen.

“With Luke, I plan on talking to his agent once the holidays come and go, just to see where they’re at,” Fitzgerald concluded with NJHN. “I don’t want to distract Luke at all because of the way he’s been playing. I really like the way he’s been playing away from the puck and defending, because, you know, he can contribute offensively or just transitionally with his legs, or with the tape to tape pass up the ice. So, you know, we’ve talked in the past. He was hurt. We wanted to get him going. He’s going now, and I’m sure after the new year, we’ll touch base.”

One interesting note on the 4 Nations Faceoff regarding Luke, Fitzgerald—Team USA’s assistant GM—explained he was in the mix to make the final roster.

EXCLUSIVE: Why Team USA Told Devils Luke Hughes Not Yet (+)

“Luke, he was in the conversation, for sure. But at the end of the day, it’s a hard decision to make. There were no layups, quite honestly. But Luke will have his day, for sure.”

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