Devils GM Can No Longer Sit on Hands After Jack Hughes Injury

After addressing his body of work following last summer’s free agency, what was the one thing New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald wasn’t concerned with?

Goals.

Well, the Devils are in a lot of trouble now. Jack Hughes‘ injury on Sunday night did not look good. They were already -24.3 goals saved above expected as of Sunday night. If/when their star player misses time, it’s going to get worse.

New Jersey Hockey Now asked Tom Fitzgerald in June how he plans to find goals after missing on some top free agent forwards, and after he also dealt one of his best scorers at last season’s deadline.

“I went through my punch list with you. What was the one thing I didn’t talk about? I wasn’t worried about offense with this group,” Fitzgerald explained to NJHN when asked how the Devils will replace Tyler Toffoli’s goal production. He left New Jersey on a 35-goal pace.

“We’ve got enough offense here. With that being said, a guy like Dawson Mercer is going to get an opportunity to continue to grow and explode, hopefully. And then it’s by committee. You’re hoping that the [Tomas] Tatar’s and [Paul] Cotter’s and the [Stefan] Noesen’s are all chipping in and that 15-goal [range] to make up the goal difference. But at the end of the day, Jack, Nico [Hischier], Timo [Meier], [Jesper] Bratt, more from [Ondrej] Palat offensively. We feel we’ll continue to get that.”

Spoiler alert. Most, of those things have not happened.

With the exception of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and until recently, Jesper Bratt, none of the aforementioned players by Fitzgerald have been able to replace what Toffoli left after he was traded at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.

For a while, it was Noesen—who has already eclipsed his previous career high in goals—who was filling the void. Yet, his goal production has tailed off.

Cotter was shot out of a cannon to start the season, however, he’s now missing more often than he’s not from the scoresheet.

As for Mercer, the first man named as a potential Toffoli replacement, he’s not quite found that goal scoring ability he had in his sophomore campaign when he netted 27 goals.

Heck, even Timo Meier has struggled to score despite all the analytics supporting he’s more unlucky than anything.

The fact of the matter is, Fitzgerald overestimated how set his team was on offense. Now, they find themselves in a hole. Said hole will be even deeper depending on the extent of Hughes’ injury.

Yet, the Devils sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are certainly in reach.

The objects in the Devils’ rearview are no longer closer than they appear. The Columbus Blue Jackets are suddenly a real threat to leap them in the standings sitting four points back of third in the Metro.

Without Hughes, the road becomes tougher. Yet, the Devils have at least the framework of a team who can have success in the postseason.

The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline is this Friday. Can the Devils afford to wait until then to strike a deal?

That’s unlikely. Major names such as Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Miller, and Mikael Granlund have already been dealt.

Before Hughes’ injury, the Devils needed a top-six scorer and bottom-six center.

Now? They’re going to be in need of two top-six forwards, with the hope they can replicate Hughes’ goal scoring prowess.

Word was the Devils were one of the teams who checked in with the St. Louis Blues on center Brayden Schenn. However, due to the price-point, their interest was mild, and perhaps dead upon learning the cost of acquisition.

Perhaps that changes due to the circumstances.

The Devils have been inconsistent for too long now. They’ve alternated wins and losses for 11 straight games now and haven’t eclipsed three wins in a row all season.

The cracks in Fitzgerald’s roster construction foundation have been evident for quite some time now. Friday’s 3:00 P.M. deadline is too late.

The Devils need reinforcements now with crucial games ahead.

It’s time for Fitzgerald to stop sitting on his hands and salvage the remainder of the 2024-25 season before an epic collapse.

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