Changes Coming, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald Not Satisfied

Coming into the 2024-25 season, the expectations for the New Jersey Devils were raised. They did not meet those expectations, and Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald made it known.

Fitzgerald addressed the Devils media on Thursday to close out the 2024-25 campaign that ended in a first-round elimination in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

He explained because the Devils fell short of expectations, there will be changes this summer, despite mentioning he “likes his group.”

“I like our group. My job is to continue to better the group,” the Devils GM explained. “We’ve got a lot of decisions to make on certain players. Whether we bring guys back, trade players, we won’t be coming back as the same group. I can tell you that, because it wasn’t good enough.”

“I think it was a good year. Now, was it a great year? No, it was disappointing. We got knocked out in five games,” Fitzgerald said.

On the way to, and amid the first-round exit, the Devils experienced a plethora of injuries to stars such as Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Luke Hughes. Thus, the task of defeating the mostly healthy Hurricanes became too overwhelming.

However, it wasn’t the injuries that Fitzgerald explained was the bane of New Jersey this season. Fitzgerald chalked it up to underperformers, despite their return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Last summer, offense wasn’t an issue on Fitzgerald’s checklist. Thus, Fitzgerald focused on defense and goaltending, seeing the arrivals of Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, and Jacob Markstrom.

In hindsight, it was an oversight.

New Jersey fell from a team ranked 12th in the NHL scoring 3.22 goals per game in 2023-24, to a 21st ranked team netting just 2.98 goals per game.

“Well, I think players underachieved, for sure,” Fitzgerald said. “I think players who have scored enough goals in this league to give assurance that we have depth scoring… didn’t. I said it just moments ago. Scoring goals is extremely tough to do in this league.”

The Devils brought in guys like Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter last summer, two integral pieces New Jersey hoped would provide depth scoring this season.

Noesen started hot, scoring 16 goals through December 23rd in 37 games.

However, he quickly cooled off post holiday, potting just six pucks in the final 45 games of the year.

Cotter, in a similar vein, started hot with six goals in his first 12 games. Yet, also faltered in the scoring department, adding just 10 through the final 70 games of the season.

“I bang my head against the wall every day wondering, really, what is depth scoring? I’ve asked my team, I asked my analytics group, ‘Tell me what it is. What is it that the great teams in this league have in depth scoring? Is it 12, 20-goal scores? No, that’s not real, is it? 12, 10-plus goal scores?’ Possibly, that’s our goal.”

On any given night, if the top six wasn’t scoring, it was likely the Devils were going to lose.

There were even nights where the top-six disappointed by staying off the scoresheet.

Perhaps the Devils are missing a piece up top as well.

Dawson Mercer was viewed as a potential breakout candidate in 2024-25. He underperformed, however, scoring the least amount of goals (19) he has since his rookie year when he potted 17.

The Devils already started adding in the offseason. Arseni Gritsyuk is under contract for next year, a KHL import the Devils feel has an offensive upside.

READ MORE: What Are Realistic Expectations for Devils Arseni Gritsyuk?

However, Fitzgerald is going into the summer with the belief that he’s just an added bonus to what the team is going to look like in September.

The Devils probably need one top-six winger and a few bottom-six forward who can score.

Perhaps Daniel Sprong returns next season, a player who was excited about the idea of staying under Sheldon Keefe’s tutelage.

Regardless, Fitzgerald wanted to address defense and goaltending last summer. He did that, and it paid off, as New Jersey was a top-five team in goals against per game.

However, neglecting the forward group proved to be costly, and now the Devils GM is seeking changes.

“When I talked about depth scoring last year, it was really the last thing on my to-do list because we had to get better in other areas,” Fitzgerald said. “We had to keep the puck out of our net. We had to defend better. We had to move pucks up the ice more effectively. And right, now I say, I think it proves that the tic-tac-toe plays aren’t always there, and getting ugly goals is as good as a tic-tac-toe goal.”

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