Devils Trade Chatter; Tom Fitzgerald in San Jose, Concern Over Scoring

The New Jersey Devils are in a bit of a funk, and it’s a concerning way to ring in the New Year. They’re on a three-game skid amid their six-game road trip. And although one three-game losing streak is no reason to sound the alarms, one glaring issue that’s haunted the Devils for weeks is a concern internally, which could ultimately lead to a Devils trade.

As it currently stands, the Devils sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference. Both are only by a slim margin, with third place sitting just a handful of points away from leaping them.

The Devils certainly want to nip the losing streak in the bud as soon as possible, yet aren’t getting much help from their depth.

Before the holiday, general manager Tom Fitzgerald was up front regarding the lack of depth scoring.

“There are certain guys here that are buzzing offensively. When our power play doesn’t score or one of our top two lines don’t score, I think we need more from other people, quite honestly, contributing wise, without naming any names,” Fitzgerald explained.

It was less concerning in December, as the Devils were receiving a boatload of points from their top guys. However, in their last three games, Jack Hughes has no points, nor does Nico Hischier. Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt have each collected a single point.

We’re now halfway through the 2024-25 regular season, which is enough to come to terms with the fact that this is who this Devils team is. A top-heavy team on offense who relies on their speed, skill, and special teams to convert on wins. They’ve added the elements of being defensively responsible and physical, which has led also led to strong goaltending, certainly adding to their identity. Yet, goals have been hard to come by lately.

So just how concerning is this recent trend?

A well-placed source explained the concern is weighing.

“It’s no different from how [Fitzgerald] covered it in December. As he said, it’s real… It’s his job to address it.”

It’s been well documented by now, but for those keeping score at home:

Paul Cotter has two points in his last 17 games.

Erik Haula has no points in that same span.

Tomas Tatar, often a healthy scratch, has no points in his last 12 games.

Nathan Bastian is pointless in 11 games.

Dawson Mercer has been better, but for a guy who Fitzgerald named as a potential Tyler Toffoli replacement, he has just three goals and five points in his last 13 games.

Something’s got to give.

Well, perhaps the concern is growing a bit more than initially led on. As reported by Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, Fitzgerald was credentialed to be in the building to take in the San Jose Sharks game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night. The Devils play the Sharks on Saturday and arrived in San Jose on Thursday night.

Certainly, Fitzgerald and Sharks GM Mike Grier a have history of working with each other. The two connected on the Devils trade that brought Meier to New Jersey and saw Fabian Zetterlund and Shakir Mukhamadullin go to San Jose. At last season’s deadline, they connected again on sending Vitek Vanecek to San Jose which brought Kaapo Kahkonen to New Jersey in return.

Where there’s smoke, there’s certainly fire. The Devils need depth and the Sharks are still in the business of reeling in assets.

The idea of bringing Zetterlund back is intriguing. Do the Sharks have the appetite to move the pending free agent? It’s been reported by San Jose Hockey Now colleague, Sheng Peng, that the Sharks and Fabian Zetterlund have begun extension talks, and he wants to remain in San Jose. Perhaps that’s more of a Devils fan’s pipe-dream to bring back the now 20-plus goalscorer as of last season. Especially if the Sharks have identified him as a piece of their core.

However, the Sharks do have some more veteran players who they could sell. Mikael Granlund leads San Jose in scoring with 11 goals and 35 points. He’s on an expiring contract with a $5 million cap hit and has no protection from trade. Luke Kunin is a cheaper option, also on an expiring contract with a $2.75 million cap hit, who has scored 10 goals in 41 games.

One thing is for certain. Fitzgerald isn’t in San Jose for leisure, and it feels as though a Devils trade is a matter of when, and not if.

For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.

Follow us on 𝕏:

@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL, @NickNatale10

And on Threads:

@JamesNicholsNHL