Tom Fitzgerald Adds Leadership and Winning Experience to the Devils

The New Jersey Devils are one of the youngest teams in the NHL. While the team is young and developing together, they were missing something. That something is veteran leadership and experience. General manager Tom Fitzgerald wanted his team to take the next step towards the playoffs by playing more meaningful games. Therefore he signed Ondrej Palat and Brendan Smith when Free Agency began. Fitzgerald hopes these players bring the leadership and experience needed for this youthful group of players.

This is a big season for the Devils. They have missed the playoffs 10 of the last 12 seasons. While there has been progress, the team’s season is usually over before it starts. Tom Fitzgerald is hoping to change that this season. He expects the Devils to take the next step season as he addressed areas of concern. However, like any young team, they need to know how to win and close out hockey games. That is what hurt the Devils over the past couple of seasons. In addition to the injuries. But the additions of Palat and Smith give the Devils something they have not had in a while. Players with winning experience and leadership.

Devils Bring In Leaders and Proven Winners

While the Devils would have liked Johnny Gaudreau, the addition of Ondrej Palat is a big one. Palat has won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was a huge part of their success since 2015. That experience is hard to find. It is something that has been lacking ever since Patrik Elias hung up his skates in 2016. It is a big reason why Palat signed in New Jersey.

“I’m really excited. The talk with Fitzgerald went really well,” Palat said to reporters Friday morning. “Fitzgerald really emphasized his winning experience as a need for this team. To help bring that championship mentality into the room.”

And that mentality is necessary to win close games out. Regardless if you are up by one goal or three goals. The Devils need to learn to finish games the right way. And that is why Fitzgerald targeted Palat from the beginning. Because of what he brings to the table.

Palat’s experience will teach them that. He is a player that always finishes the play. He never takes a shift off playing to the final buzzer. Palat knows exactly where to be on the ice. This led to the Nikita Kucherov pass to Ross Colton to win Game 2 against the Florida Panthers in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I’m more of a lead by example leader, but I’m not afraid to say something in the room if it needs to be said,” Palat added.

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Mentoring Younger Players

But the Devils just did not need the experience with the forward group. They needed on the back end as well. The signing of Dougie Hamilton was the first step. But adding a player like Brendan Smith, who has the experience and can mentor young players was necessary as well. Not to mention, he adds an edge, which the Devils defence needs as well.

“For myself, I can fill that area of a physical, veteran defenseman with a little bit of a voice,” Brendan Smith told reporters on Thursday. “Maybe help these guys grow in an area to take that next step. I think for myself, it’ll be a lot of fun. I found myself doing that before with the Rangers and some of the young guys with the Canes. I like our D corps at the moment. I’m excited to get going.”

In his time with the Rangers before joining the Hurricanes, Smith helped mentor players like Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, and K’Andre Miller. Smith learned the NHL game from some of the best when he was with the Detroit Red Wings. He wants to bring that knowledge that he obtained as a young player and pass it along to the young players on the Devils defence corps. Players like Ty Smith, Damon Severson, Kevin Bahl, and others can benefit from having Smith around.

Like Tom Fitzgerald Fitzgerald and Palat, Smith believes the Devils are ready to take the next step. Despite this team being very young, the players are a year older. However, they need to be tougher to play against. Adding Palat and now Smith will go a long way to help the Devils, in the long run, accomplish those goals.

“If you’re hard to play against night in and night out, you’ll find a way to get those points,” Smith added. “That’s what I want to preach. I think it all starts in practice. If you have a high level of competition in practice, you see what you’re going to be going up against and then you play that way. It’s the old saying, practice how you play. That’s what I want to do. Play hard. If we do that on a daily basis, it’ll give us the best chance to slide into a playoff position.”

Even with these additions, Tom Fitzgerald is not finished by any means as he is still looking to add depth pieces that fill needs the Devils need. Especially in the areas of leadership and winning.