New Jersey Devils Extend General Manager Tom Fitzgerald

It was an off day for the Devils on the ice after their victory Monday night over the Vegas Golden Knights, but New Jersey is securing their house for the future. Fitzgerald was named interim general manager back on January 12, 2020, when the Devils moved on from Ray Shero. He then took on the full-time Executive Vice President and General Manager role on July 9, 2020.

The Devils have been built the right way under Fitzgerald since he took the position. He has received criticism this year for not securing the goaltending position, but what he has done up to that point has not been matched.

Fitzgerald has got the Devils back to drafting and developing their players correctly. He was part of the team that drafted Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, but in his tenure, Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer were selected in the 2020 NHL Draft. Meanwhile, Fitzgerald selected Luke Hughes in 2021 and Simon Nemec in 2022.

Not to mention his savvy trades for Jonas Siegenthaler and Erik Haula, as well as sending Taylor Hall to Arizona to get Kevin Bahl. Fitzgerald took a shot last year as he acquired Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks. Not to mention trading for John Marino, Tyler Toffoli and Curtis Lazar. Fitzgerald was building New Jersey as a destination for players once again.

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Fitzgerald signed Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat in free agency. Who would have thought those players would go to New Jersey? Fitzgerald sold them on what he was building as he extended core players Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Michael McLeod, Kevin Bahl, and Nathan Bastian.

“We are excited to have signed Tom to a multi-year extension, and to promote him to President, Hockey Operations,” said Devils’ Managing Partner David Blitzer said in the press release. “Over the years, he has built a young, powerful, and dynamic team that our organization can be proud of. Tom has worked tirelessly on revamping the roster via signings, trades, and draft picks to build an established core with a focus on not only today but for many years to come. We have considerable talent, both on and off the ice, and I look forward to what the future will bring together.”

Tom Fitzgerald has transformed this team and seen progress through the pain with a young roster. The Devils went from being dead last in the division and the Eastern Conference to a team with playoff expectations each year. Last season, the Devils set a franchise record with 52 wins and 112 points. During the season, the Devils tied a franchise-record 13-game winning streak.

The Devils’ 49-point increase from 2021-22 to 2022-23 marked the league’s lowest to highest point differential (season-to-season) in NHL history since the league established an 82-game schedule in 1995-96. The Devils beat their rivals in the New York Rangers in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was their first playoff series win since 2012.

However, the Devils lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the second round. There, the team’s goaltending issues were exposed. Those issues have carried over into this season, along with a defense that is not playing up to standards.

Injuries are not an excuse, but Jack Hughes has been out of the lineup multiple times this season, and the Devils are still only a couple of points out of a playoff spot. There is criticism of the head coach Lindy Ruff as well, but Fitzgerald will look to do his best as he is always looking to upgrade his team.

The New Jersey Devils are in good hands, with Tom Fitzgerald steering the ship.