A new direction is coming for the New Jersey Devils and there are a few reasons that have gotten us here.
Tom Fitzgerald is out as general manager, however, his identity has been established. Fitzgerald has been with the New Jersey organization for the past 10 years, serving as general manager for the past six. They have made some bold moves such as acquiring Timo Meier and signing Dougie Hamilton as the first premiership free agent in several seasons. They've also made surprising mistakes, like trading Tyler Toffoli, who was a perfect fit at the time, and perhaps extending Johnathan Kovacevic a little earlier than anticipated.
However, in the 2025–26 season alone, several mistakes were made by the now former Devils GM, which ultimately led to the decision to fire him, and he started at the beginning of the year.
Jacob Markstrom Extension
Acquiring Jacob Markstrom was one thing. Fitzgerald gave up a first-round pick for an aging goaltender, but he at least came in with the makings of a legitimate starting goaltender. However, at age 35 and amid a long stretch of questionable games, Markstrom's desire to extend was puzzling. Markstrom's history suggests inconsistency. When he's good, he's great. And when he's bad, it can be really questionable. That has often been the case in 2025-26, and entering the age 36 season, it's hard to see how it will get any better. Fitzgerald had the entire season to evaluate what he was going to do with Markstrom, but instead he went into a new extension that hasn't even started yet, while Markstrom hasn't trusted anyone.
dougie hamilton debacle
Hamilton's situation was handled poorly. News leaked that the Devils were shopping out the veteran defenseman, then benched him for "performance reasons", only to see his agent call out Fitzgerald to try to force him to accept a trade. He then denied this notion, and later denied it when asked about it, despite knowing that Hamilton had canceled a trade or two.
quinn hughes is missing
Certainly, learning that Hamilton canceled a trade despite his improved play caused some tension. And that's because the Devils were on Quinn Hughes, and couldn't hold on to him. Not seeing his franchise brother's face when he was available for trade was a huge mistake that could have turned the season 180°. Instead, he lost to a more aggressive GM who was willing to take big swings, show too much patience, and ultimately create an environment of uncertainty for players who felt they could be on the chopping block at any time.
too much business protection
Fitzgerald rejected another claim that the amount of business protection it provided hindered its ability to grow. However, as we know Hamilton did, the deals were voided due to the trade protections he offered, and the Devils GM himself was handcuffed. Thus, even when Jack Hughes was injured he could not make the necessary additions to improve the team.
Inactivity at trade deadline
The inactivity at the 2026 NHL trade deadline was perhaps the final straw. The Devils had pieces they could move this summer to improve their arsenal of possessions to take an even bigger swing. Instead, Fitzgerald stood quietly and did nothing. He also mentioned having the opportunity to explore the Hamilton business, and stated that this was something he was not interested in doing. In fact, their acquisition of Nick Bjugstad becomes even more intriguing in the weeks leading up to the deadline, with it appearing that there is a foot on each side of the fence as either a buyer or a seller. After all, the direction was unclear.
