Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald Trade Philosophy Remains The Same

For the first time in a long time, the New Jersey Devils will be buyers at the NHL Trade Deadline. Entering the season, general manager Tom Fitzgerald improved his team by making hockey trades by acquiring controllable assets for the future. Nobody expected the Devils to be this good this soon. Most figured they would show signs of improvement as this team was a year away or so from doing any real damage.

However, thanks to their franchise-tying 13-game winning streak early in the season, the Devils are in a position to make real noise once the playoffs begin. However, despite their success, Tom Fitzgerald knows that he cannot veer from his strategy on how he wants to improve his hockey team going forward.

Fitzgerald has remained steadfast in making trades and improving his hockey club in the summer rather than at the trade deadline. However, with the Devils ahead of schedule according to Fitzgerald as he spoke with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, it does not mean he will stop doing his job of improving his hockey club for the future.

“My job is to improve the team. But my window is not one year,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. “We’re a year ahead of where I think everyone thought we would be, but here we are. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to do my job and try to improve the club long-term.”

And his philosophy has not changed as the Devils enter the All-Star week bye.

“If I can make a hockey trade that improves our club, then yeah, I’ll explore that,” Fitzgerald said early in the year when he spoke to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com. “Am I going to go out and give up assets for rentals? It depends on how we are. We’d like to look at the 20-game mark, the 40-game mark and see where we’re at.”

Well, we are past the 40 games mark and the Devils sit in second place in the Metro Division behind the Carolina Hurricanes.

And the big thing for Fitzgerald is that he got a pre-trade deadline acquisition in already with the returns of Ondrej Palat and Nathan Bastian to the lineup. Palat missed most of the season with an injury and we have yet to see him fully engulfed into this system.

However, that does not mean the Devils are perfect. They are not. That is why Fitzgerald is looking at what the market is right now and seeing what is available later on as well. Again his philosophy has been building through the summer with hockey trades. When the Devils were a seller it was one thing, but they are in a different position now.

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Outside of Jonas Seigenthaler, who has turned into a great hockey trade that has improved the defence. The Devils have not gone big game hunting for a rental and probably will not this trade deadline either. However, Fitzgerald could acquire a big name under the right scenario. That scenario is the Devils have control of that player past this season.

“In an ideal world, you’re giving up assets and bringing on a player that will grow with our core group in that age bracket,” Fitzgerald continued with The Athletic. 

Without naming any names which is illegal, Tom Fitzgerald would like to add a top-six winger. Something the Devils desperately need.

“If it’s possible, I’d like to add a top-six winger,” Fitzgerald repeated to LeBrun of The Athletic. “And I’d like to be able to control the player (past this season) and grow. I’d be willing to give up assets to do that, and I’ve got to know, ‘What does that look like?’”

Some of the names out there that fit the mould are Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks and Timo Meier of the San Jose Sharks. Meier is a perfect fit as he has played with Nico Hischier and Seigenthaler with Team Switzerland at the World Championship.

Not to mention Meier is the exact type of player the Devils need. Not only can Meier score, but he is a versatile winger as well. Obviously, the big factor is Meier’s qualifying offer of $10 million just to keep him for a year. And considering what Devils need to pay Jesper Bratt, it might be best to look elsewhere.

Boeser is a good fit as well. Like Meier, Boeser is a versatile player. He can play with either Hischier or Jack Hughes. His cap hit of $6.650 million over the next two and half seasons. It is reasonable enough to where the Devils can re-sign Bratt long-term. And now is the perfect time to get him. Boeser’s 10-team no-trade list does not kick in until July 1, 2024.

In addition, Fitzgerald is not against renting a depth player or two. The Devils have the assets to get a player like Max Domi. But he knows that other teams will be doing the same thing.

One thing is for sure Tom Fitzgerald will continue to weigh his options. The trade deadline is still over a month away. So the Devils still have work to do before March 3rd. However, Fitzgerald has put his Devils team in a position to remain buyers at the deadline for many years to come. It will be interesting to see what they do.