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New Jersey Devils GM Confirms Major Changes Will Be Coming to the Roster This Summer

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 8, 2025 1:04 PM ET

The New Jersey Devils fought hard in round one, but after another playoff failure, GM Tom Fitzgerald has declared that some major changes are on the way.

Late in the 2024/25 season, the New Jersey Devils suffered some brutal injuries, and unfortunately, while they fought hard in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, they would ultimately fall short in five games.

Now, after building this young core that has failed to take them to the Eastern Conference Finals, changes could be coming this summer, with General Manager Tom Fitzgerald stating that it's simply not been good enough from the team at this time of year.

'We won't be coming back with the same group. Because it was just not good enough.'

While Fitzgerald obviously didn't share specifics, it's clear that he's frustrated, and with the team not having a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, they'll likely be looking to free agency or the trade market to shake things up in a big way.

'I like our group, my job is to continue to better the group. And we've got a lot of decision to make on certain players, bringing guys back, trade players...'

Those are two avenues that Fitzgerald addressed later in his comments, and once again, he didn't name names, but Luke Hughes is an RFA, Jake Allen is a UFA and there are other potential options for trades out of New Jersey, meaning they'll be a team to keep a close eye on.

With Jack Hughes hoping to be healthy next season come playoff time, that could change a lot for New Jersey, but with the team having lofty Stanley Cup expectations, they'll stop at nothing to get there.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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