RSS Devils Team Notes

[New Jersey Devils]

Under No Circumstances Should the Devils Next GM Be An Internal Hire

Let’s take a look at the tale of the tape since the Devils moved on from Lou Lamoriello as General Manager way back in 2015.

The Devils have gone through two permanent GMs in Ray Shero and Tom Fitzgerald.

They have gone through three permanent head coaches in John Hynes, Lindy Ruff, and Sheldon Keefe, with Alain Nasreddine and Travis Green serving as interim coach when Hynes and Ruff were dismissed midseason.

Their win-loss record, including this season, is 397-364-91, which is technically above “NHL .500” but in actuality, the Devils would need to win their next 58 games in a row to get back to REAL .500 over that timeframe. Not expected wins or process wins or hypothetical wins or moral victories, but actual wins and losses. You know, the only stats that actually matter at the end of the day.

They have made the playoffs three times in that timeframe, winning one playoff round against their archrivals. Their only playoff series win since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, which feels like a lifetime ago at this point, and the closest they have gotten to winning a Stanley Cup was 11 wins away in 2023. Close, but not actually that close.

Yes, the Devils were rebuilding for much of that time frame, but at the end of the day, what do they have to actually show for it?

Well, they did get their first Hart Trophy winner in franchise history with Taylor Hall leading the team to the playoffs in 2017-18, only to get obliterated in five games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. As much fun as that season was, it turned out to be fool’s gold as the team was single-handedly carried by an MVP-caliber performance.

They had what wound up being the greatest regular season in franchise history in 2022-23, in terms of points, with a fun team that looked like this was a potential championship-level club on the rise. They won a playoff series against their archrivals before bowing out in the second round against Carolina, but the sky was seemingly the limit. Unfortunately, that turned out to be fool’s gold as well.

They made the playoffs last season, but let’s be real, the Devils made the playoffs essentially in name only as Carolina made short work of them once again in a non-competitive, best-of-seven series.

They have a roster that is currently capped out with no obvious path towards improvement anytime in the immediate future other than hoping players snap out of it and play better. Except that hoping something happens isn’t an actual plan.

Instead of taking a step forward and looking like a team that is building towards something, they’ve taken several steps backwards and looks like a team that needs to pivot and retool, if not outright tear it all down and start over. Except that’s complicated by the fact there are so many no-move clauses and no-trade clauses on said roster as they were handed out by the GM like Halloween candy.

And that’s about it. After 11 years post-Lou, that’s what these Devils have accomplished. That is what the Devils have to show for all of those years of losing with the promise of a brighter future.

Some rebuild, huh?

I’m writing this in the aftermath of the Devils being emasculated and humiliated against the New York Islanders by a score of 9-0. A game where the Devils once again can’t finish even though the GM told us with a straight face that “I’m not worried about offense with this group” last summer. His words, not mine. A game where Tom Fitzgerald’s hand picked “big game hunting” goaltender who he unnecessarily signed to a contract extension couldn’t stop a beach ball. Again, his words, not mine.

That’s about as appropriate as it gets for THESE Devils that Fitzgerald has assembled. A game where after “Boo-Gate”, THIS was the response by the team in their very next game. A game where the fan who threw a Devils jersey onto the ice showed more passion and fire than anybody on the team.

It’s the type of loss that screams for somebody to be dragged out back and put out of their misery, whether it’s GM Tom Fitzgerald, head coach Sheldon Keefe, the players, or some combination of all of the above. It’s the type of performance where you have to do something because it’s beyond unacceptable. In a lot of ways, its eerily reminiscent of the 7-1 loss to the Sabres back on December 2nd, 2019. Another similarly spineless, gutless, and embarrassing performance by everybody involved. The only difference being the Devils found a way to score a meaningless goal that night, which is more than they did last night.

On a related note, the Devils fired John Hynes the following day. With Ray Shero to follow shortly after.

While all of this has been going on over the last ten and a half years, a surprising number of people have been here in the background the entire time, or close to it.

Tom Fitzgerald was hired as the AGM way back on July 24th, 2015. He’s been here the entire time.

The Devils hired Paul Castron as director of scouting back on July 31st, 2015. He has been here the entire time.

The Devils hired Mark Dennehy to coach the then AHL-Binghamton Devils back on August 1st, 2018. He has since been promoted to Chief Scout of Amateur Scouting.

The Devils hired Matt Cane as Director of Hockey Analytics in May of 2019, and has since been promoted to Vice President of Hockey Analytics and Strategy.

The Devils hired Dave Rogalski as goaltender coach in October of 2020. Rogalski still holds this position today despite making zero goaltenders under his tutelage any better than they were before they got here. In fact, some of those goaltenders have gone on to be better once they got away from him and with a team that actually knows what the hell they’re doing.

Dan MacKinnon has been in the organization since 2016 and is now an AGM. The Devils other AGM, Kate Madigan, has been in the organization since 2017. Chuck Fletcher, who is a senior advisor to Fitzgerald, hasn’t been here nearly as long, but that’s probably because he was too busy being an average at best GM in Minnesota and Philadelphia during that timeframe. As it turns out, average at best might be kind, as Flyers fans were quick to laugh at us for hiring their failed GM. Turns out, they were right to do so.

I could keep going but I think you get the point that I’m building towards.

Eventually, Tom Fitzgerald is going to be fired as general manager of the Devils. If the Devils were a serious organization, it should’ve already happened by the time you read this. Whether you think that is fair or unfair, I’ll leave that up to you to discuss in the comments. But at the end of this day, this is his team. And as I wrote some time ago, this is all on him. I’m not saying the coaches or players don’t deserve blame as well, but Fitzgerald is the one person who has had a hand in everything when it comes to this team. It’s his (capped-out) roster. His hand-picked free agency signings. His trades. His draft classes. His draft busts. His contract extensions. His NMCs and NTCs. His (second) head coach. His staff. His braintrust. This is the mess he created. And sitting here in January of 2026, after nearly six years on the job, the results have not been good enough.

When the Devils make that change, they need to go outside of the organization to find whoever the next GM is going to be. It can’t be anybody currently in place who had a hand in creating this mess. It can’t be anybody with any perceived biases when it comes to the roster or the coach, assuming Keefe somehow survives this.

I don’t care that Dan MacKinnon has worked his way up and paid his dues. He can’t be the next GM. Not of this team.

I don’t care that Kate Madigan has worked her way up and paid her dues. I don’t care that her hire would make for a feel-good story with her becoming the first woman NHL general manager. She can’t be the next GM. Not of this team.

I don’t care that Chuck Fletcher has experience. He’s been a lousy GM in the past. He can’t be the next GM. Not of this team.

I don’t care how smart Matt Cane supposedly is. I want to see the analytics that say that say Juho Lammikko and Dennis Cholowski, just to name two names, are quality NHL players. If he can’t show his work, he should be shown the door. He can’t be the next GM. Not of this team.

Now, I’m saying this with the expectation that one of the aforementioned names will probably be named the interim GM if and when Fitzgerald is fired because somebody has to answer the phone when other teams start circling like vultures. Good luck hiring a quality GM from the outside while in-season. Someone will need to do something to make the team cap compliant once Johnathan Kovacevic is ready to return. Someone will need to take calls if this team shifts to seller mode, which is looking more and more likely with each embarrassing loss.

But none of those people should be given serious consideration to be the next general manager.

If we know anything about the inner workings of the team, it’s that everything is apparently discussed in some sort of committee. It’s a collaborative effort, one that the previous GM Shero reportedly wasn’t comfortable with. Fitzgerald might be making the call at the end of the day when it comes to roster decisions, but he’s not doing it without the input from his top aides. And there are plenty of people on the Devils payroll who probably have a seat at said table to be a voice in his ear.

That’s reason enough for me to not want any of these people involved in the decision-making process going forward. They’ve all had a hand in this mess too, at one point or another.

From an organizational structure standpoint, it’s time to napalm the entire operation and start fresh with people who actually know how to build a winning hockey team. Because what we currently have isn’t it.

The Devils are overdue for a shakeup in the scouting department anyways, as they’ve had plenty of draft misses in the last decade. Obviously, no team is batting 1.000 when it comes to draft picks and nailing each and every one of them, and I acknowledge they did a better job than the end of the Lou Lamoriello/David Conte era did when it comes to finding players who can play in the league. But there’s been enough misses where they need fresh voices and fresh ideas overseeing that part of the operation.

The Devils are long overdue for a shakeup when it comes to player development, especially at the AHL level. Not only is Utica (and Binghamton before them) consistently bad, but the Devils never seem to get a spark from any player when they get a call up with Nico Daws being the lone exception. They need fresh voices and fresh ideas overseeing that too.

And then there’s the actual NHL roster. There’s Sheldon Keefe. There’s the NHL coaching staff.

Eventually, decisions will need to be made on all of those guys. And they will be. The next GM will have his work cut out for him cleaning up the mess he would be inheriting.

It’s all the more reason why they have to go external.

They have to hire a general manager who has no attachment to anyone and anything here.

They have to hire a general manager who is willing to be the bad guy and figure out a way to get the problematic contracts off of the books to give this team the flexibility going forward to make the necessary changes to improve the roster. If it means making life miserable for the players who have said clauses and healthy scratching them, so be it. If it means treating a respected veteran in this manner, so be it. Maybe the Devils got a head start on that by benching Ondrej Palat in game. That only came about two years too late.

They have to hire a general manager who, instead of sitting on his hands in season when things aren’t going well, is willing to do something to try to fix things. Because we’ve seen year after year that Fitzgerald’s “patient” approach isn’t working. Doing nothing and hoping the problem goes away hasn’t worked in the past and isn’t working now. It’s not a plan. And if Fitzgerald is so handicapped where he literally can’t do anything because the team is capped out and 3/5 of the roster have trade protection, that’s all the more reason to get rid of the guy who built said roster.

Do you want to be nice to everyone and be a big happy family? Or do you want to win? Cause I know which one I want.

I don’t know who the next general manager is going to be. I don’t even know who I’d want, although I do have a good idea of who I don’t want if the Peter Chiarellis of the world are mentioned as “top candidates”. That’ll be a hard pass for me.

But it can’t be anybody who had a hand in this mess.

Instead of tinkering around the edges, it’s time to get to the root of the problem. It’s time to remove the rot that has infested this organization for a decade. No half measures. All of it.

Burn down the entire structure and start over with somebody from the outside.

We’ve seen enough from the braintrust that has managed to stick around long past their expiration date to know that this isn’t good enough.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...should-the-devils-next-gm-be-an-internal-hire

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 1/7/26: Time for Change Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

You run out of words to describe how horrendous a team can play. On Tuesday night, the Islanders took a 9-0 win over the Devils, and you have to think people are getting fired after this one. [Devils NHL]

Things gotta change:

9-0 Islanders.
This is the worst Devils shutout loss since March 31, 1986, a 9-0 loss at the Rangers. These are the only two times in team history they lost by 9+ goals and were shut out.

— Leo Scaglione Jr. (@LeoScaglioneJr) January 7, 2026

That this is the response after a letdown game vs. your rival –– during which your player got booed by his own fans –– tells me that something is seriously wrong with this #NJDevils team.

Major change needed.

— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovoNHL) January 7, 2026

While he was on the call too @PKSubban1 pic.twitter.com/ewlTRdu4lM

— ESPN (@espn) January 7, 2026

Nico news:

I saw a report that KHL teams have interest in Nico Daws.

I just got off the phone with the Comets' goaltender.

"I honestly don't know anything about it."

I asked if he was looking to transition his game to the KHL, and he quickly said no. | #NJDevils

— Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) January 6, 2026

“While every game is a grind, given the state of the team, their January schedule presents some favorable opportunities. In all likelihood, whether they qualify for the playoffs will come down to these next three to four weeks.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

Hockey Links​

Rangers guys will miss some time:

The New York Rangers are putting Adam Fox on LTIR (must miss 10 games or 24 days) and Igor Shesterkin on IR while he continues to be evaluated.

Both are dealing with lower body injuries. pic.twitter.com/cDBVn8udFA

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 6, 2026

“Gabriel Landeskog will miss ‘some weeks’ for the Colorado Avalanche, and it’s unclear if he will be able to play for Sweden in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Landeskog, the Avalanche captain, sustained an upper-body injury early in the second period of a 2-1 loss at the Florida Panthers on Sunday when he lost his footing while driving to the net and crashed into the goal.” [NHL.com]

Scary moment Tuesday:

Haydn Fleury had to be stretchered off the ice after crashing into the boards from a shove from Keegan Kolesar.

Hoping Fleury is alright pic.twitter.com/rkWyZwxBiQ

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 7, 2026

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Haydn Fleury has been transported to hospital via ambulance. He was fully alert and moving his extremities upon departure. The team will provide more information when we have it.

— Winnipeg Jets PR (@WpgJetsPR) January 7, 2026

“In an alternate timeline, Brad Marchand might be on the other side for Tuesday’s game between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. Many interpreted the veteran forward’s comments Tuesday about his free-agent decision last summer as straight trolling — usually a safe assumption with Marchand — but to be sure, there was legitimate smoke around the possibility of him jumping to the Leafs on July 1.” [The Athletic ($)]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...in-the-details-1-7-26-time-for-change-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Have the New Jersey Devils Players Given Up on This Season?

The New Jersey Devils are a complete mess right now.

We’ve talked about it over the course of at least a week here at AAtJ and more than a few articles. From accountability, to change being needed to not wanting internal replacements if and when moves are eventually made, it seems everything is going wrong for this organization. The off ice pieces have been looked at, the on ice product has been scrutinized, but there’s one aspect of said on ice personnel that maybe hasn’t been looked at yet.

Have the players given up on each other and/or on the season?

Maybe your answer is a resounding yes and you don’t feel the need to read any further. Maybe you think the problem is underperforming players and not that they’ve given up. Perhaps your opinion is somewhere else. I do not buy the idea though that the Devils have completely forgotten how to put the puck in the net. I do not buy the idea that everybody has suddenly gone cold at the same time. No, rather for one reason, another, or a combination or multiple, this Devils group seems to have given up.

The leading goal scorers for the Devils right now are Timo Meier and Nico Hischier each with only 12. There are support players on many teams around the NHL that have just as many, if not more goals than those two. Only two of Timo’s goal have come across his last 12 games; it’s worse for Nico with only two in the past 17. And yet there’s no one else on this team who has stepped forward to take on the scoring load. The only other Devils in double digits for goals are Jack Hughes, who has missed half the season, and Dawson Mercer, who gets a lot of flak for a player who is at least contributing to the level of his pay grade. Jesper Bratt may lead the team in scoring, but he can’t seem to buy a goal at this point.

I’ve seen a lot of theories floating around, both here and in other Devils spheres: the core players just aren’t good enough to win. There’s a rift within the team since the team allegedly tried to trade for Quinn Hughes and failed. There’s issues because underachieving players refused to waive their contract clauses. There was some falling out at the team dinner where Jack suffered his injury. Regardless of if any of these theories are correct to any degree or not, the failures of this team have led to all this speculation. Now is it the speculation affecting performance, or have the players just given up for one reason or another?

I think the players have given up, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly who and why. The on ice product is an absolute mess, and there’s not enough injuries even at the moment to justify it, unless you somehow believe that Simon Nemec was the glue holding everything together. (As an aside, I’m big on Nemec and what he can bring to this team, but even I don’t think his absence is the reason the team has gone off the rails.) Players look completely out of sync: passes that should be easy enough to make at much less competitive levels are off target, shots are into the opposing logo, or nowhere near the net. Assignments are missed, dumb penalties are being taken on a nightly basis (except in a game where I think the lack of a call was out of pity) and as soon as the first goal goes in, everyone looks as if any flame within them has been extinguished.

Everyone is underachieving right now, and that includes the guys who are absolutely cooked and probably not NHL level anymore, as well as the ones who are playing but never were NHL level. The core is absolutely not doing enough. The defense is in shambles. The team only has one reliable option in net. And it seems at the same time that the only guys who are being held accountable are low-level, low wage guys like Paul Cotter, who while absolutely underachieving, is not the right this team is in free fall. So what’s wrong; did they give up because the coaching stinks? Are they mad that there seems to be selective accountability? Is it frustration with how the team has been built, and that there isn’t enough actual talent to supplement the core?

The worst part of this season and the most recent slide is that right now there seems to be a whole lot more questions than answer. For a team supposed to be contending, this past decade looks to be a whole lot more like they were pretending to be building towards relevance again. Jared pointed out yesterday just how many current staff members have been here the entire time and I agree with him: it’s time to clear house. Maybe once we do we can see exactly who the problems are. Clearing out office staff could also lead to some players asking to leave, be they problematic in any form or not. Yet nothing happened after one of the worst drubbings this team has ever experienced; what does it take for something to happen? Pittsburgh playing it on repeat again tonight?

Again, with the numerous questions, I can’t say for sure who or what the Devils players have given up on, but I think they have indeed given up. And the absolute worst part is the ones who will suffer the most are us fans. We are the ones who want this group to succeed. Many of us, myself included, have been around and been fans long enough to see all three Stanley Cup victories while craving a fourth. Something has to give. Something has to be fixed. An aggressive retool (at the very least) is needed.

And yet, as again was said yesterday, I too do not trust anyone currently in team management to do it.

The Devils players look to have given up and the current management doesn’t appear to be willing or able to fix it.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...jersey-devils-players-given-up-on-this-season

 

[JJ]

Oh man, where do I even start with this dumpster fire? 9-0 to the ISLANDERS?! Are you kidding me right now?! I've seen better defensive effort at beer league games in Cheektowaga.

Look, I'm a Bills and Sabres guy through and through, so I know a thing or two about organizational dysfunction and suffering, but holy crap the Devils are speedrunning how to destroy a promising roster. You had a team that looked like legit Cup contenders what, two years ago? And now you're getting shutout by NINE GOALS and the best player on the ice was some fan chucking a PK Subban jersey onto the ice. That's absolutely pathetic.

And Markstrom letting in goals on the first two shots he faced? Bro, I've seen better goaltending from a traffic cone. At least a cone doesn't have a bloated contract attached to it.

The whole "have the players given up" question - uh, YEAH. Obviously. You don't lose 9-0 when everyone's trying. That's a quit job if I've ever seen one. The body language, the lack of finishing, passes going nowhere - that's a group that's mentally checked out.

Fitzgerald needs to be gone yesterday. Keefe too. Clean house. You can't keep running the same people who built this mess and expect different results. That's literally the definition of insanity.

At least my Sabres are tanking on PURPOSE at this point. What's Jersey's excuse?

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils Show Progress, Only Giving Up 4.

The word on the street was the Devils “need a good response.”

Let’s talk about responses. Pre-game, Bryce Salvador released an interesting recounting of all of the “response games” this season. Truly an incredible run of absolute duds every time they’ve come off a challenging loss. Spoiler Alert, they haven’t bounced back very well this season.

I’ve become the Joker.

Im tired of “getting good chances” and “outshooting them.” I know the broadcast team has to put a happy face on most things, but man it must be hard to spin zone some of this. Has this team quit? Were they just never that good? To a man they look lost and disinterested. I think here at AATJ, we have thoroughly covered off what should probably happen, because this time, for real this time, something has to give right?

1st Period​

The first was more of the same. Some actual decent play. several grade-A chances: Bratt, Brown, Grits, Nemo, Nico, Luke. Nothing fell, and the goalless streak hits 6 periods. Karlsson scored for the Pens on a rush play and put a nice short side snipe over Jake Allen’s shoulder, and it’s 1-0 them. The best chance for the Devils was on a clean breakaway for Bratt who probably wouldn’t even score on soccer net these days.

2nd Period​

Again – some more chances, and drew a powerplay. Surely this will turn the offense around. Plot twist, it didn’t and just as Dewar was coming out of the box he was hit with a beautiful stretch pass for a breakaway and he scored pretty easily 5-hole. 2-0 them.

And then the sag happened. This has become a consistent pattern with this team – just mental weakness, as the Penguins hemmed the Devils in for a good 10 minutes of straight D-zone time. They Rattled off 12 straight shots after that power play and hit 2 posts, and I don’t think we even crossed the red line.

at 17:16 Timo went to the box where he was joined shortly after by Connor Brown at 17:38. With just a few ticks under a minute left to go, we hopped in a Time Machine for a pretty Karlsson-Crosby-Malkin PP goal.

They’ve now been outscored 14-0 over the last 6 periods.

3rd Period​

Well Hallelujah, a goal! An honest to god goal! Nice back and forth between Dougie and Luke, who ripped a one timer from up top. The broke a stretch of nearly 8 periods of scoreless hockey – 115 minutes without a goal.

View Link

Didn’t matter though, scoring one is enough of a challenge, we weren’t getting more.

What an absolute embarrassing game, embarrassing season. Failure to Launch.

Some Scattered Thoughts​

Some random players that would lead our team in goals:

Josh Doan

Emil Heineman

Bobby McMann

Oliver Kapanen

Blake Coleman

Alex Tuch

Troy Terry

Owen Tippet

Anton Lundell

Jordan Eberle

Drake Bathersron

Aliaksai Protas

Zach Werenski

Bryan Rust

Leo Carlsson

Trevor Zegras

Gabe Villardi

Tyler Bertuzzi

Jakob Chychrun

Dmitri Voronkov

I’m tired guys. How about you?

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/devils-game-recaps/65298/devils-show-progress-only-giving-up-4

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 1/9/26: Hot Seats Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

The descent continues: Luke Hughes scored the lone goal for the Devils as the Penguins took a 4-1 win Thursday night. [Devils NHL]

Sheldon Keefe talks about job security:

Asked Sheldon Keefe the job security question after the #NJDevils loss.https://t.co/sSC6izR2ei

— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovoNHL) January 9, 2026

Seems bad!

The #NJDevils have trailed first in 26/44 games this season.

Nightmarish.

— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovoNHL) January 9, 2026

Tom Fitzgerald’s silence continues:

It has been 111 days since Ton Fitzgerald last spoke with us.

Will he even make it to his next presser? Or will the #NJDevils fire him before?https://t.co/KQDZKqgEDR

— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovoNHL) January 7, 2026

“The last calendar year of New Jersey Devils hockey should have Tom Fitzgerald and Sheldon Keefe’s seats white hot.” [Devils on the Rush]

The Hockey Guy assesses the Devils:

Hockey Links​

“The Florida Panthers could be getting a big boost to their lineup later this season as they continue their chase for a Stanley Cup three-peat. Captain Aleksander Barkov has resumed skating recently after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in training camp, and was seen taking to the ice prior to Florida’s loss to the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2 from Miami’s LoanDepot Park.” [TSN]

“You can see why trading for Hughes has been a game-changer for the Wild, who are 7-2-3 with a league-high 47 goals in 12 games since his Dec. 14 debut. He is as dynamic as it gets, and his early impact — from stretch passes to puck retrievals to the power play — is showing exactly why management was willing to make a trade of this magnitude.” [The Athletic ($)]

A funny moment:

After the Blackhawks scored their 7th of the game, Jim Montgomery tried to pull Jordan Binnington for Joel Hofer…

But Binnington appeared to refuse to come off the ice, and Hofer was hiding down the tunnel to the Blues' locker room? pic.twitter.com/j2V7q5bze4

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 8, 2026

“The visual of Hofer peeking around the hallway to the bench when dressed led to further speculation, on the broadcast and elsewhere, that he was hiding to avoid replacing Binnington. But, again, Montgomery said that wasn’t the case. It was just a matter of not being dressed on time.” [The Athletic ($)]

Well!

New footage from the olympic hockey rink pic.twitter.com/vmL43ei5CS

— FloWie (@fwieser55) January 8, 2026

Locker rooms are still a work in progress #Olympics2026 #olympics #nhl pic.twitter.com/WNG4Lw9SRe

— FloWie (@fwieser55) January 8, 2026

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...evils-in-the-details-1-9-26-hot-seats-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #44: New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (22-19-2) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (20-12-9)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: MSGSN, Devils Radio Network

The Game Preview: Jackson wrote the preview this morning.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...d-44-new-jersey-devils-at-pittsburgh-penguins

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Essentially Lifeless, Part 2: The New Jersey Devils Organization is Failing: Coaches, Goaltenders, and Schematic Issues

In early December, after Sheldon Keefe called the team “essentially lifeless” following a bad loss, I wrote an article titled, “Essentially Lifeless: The New Jersey Devils Organization is Faltering, Part One: The Roster.” Over the past few days, Jared, and I have written articles about Tom Fitzgerald and the front office, while Gerard wrote about the players. Jackson hit both Fitzgerald and Keefe after the Islanders game. But today, I would like to zero in on the coaching staff, who do not seem to have a good grasp on the locker room.

Another problem since I first reacted to Keefe’s “essentially lifeless” comment: the organization is no longer faltering. It’s slipping to the point of failing. So, on we go.

Sheldon Keefe, Head Coach​

I wanted Sheldon Keefe to be the guy. I thought he could be the guy.

To be honest, Lindy Ruff grew on me over his years as Devils coach. By the time he left, I just kept saying, you can’t fire Ruff and have a coach like Travis Green take over. But that’s what happened, and the Devils finished the 2023-24 season with a regression after firing the head coach, rather than the usual “bump” teams get from a firing.

If Sheldon Keefe, singularly, gets fired from the coaching staff, nobody on the bench deserves to take the head coaching seat. I don’t trust Jeremy Colliton, who had a bad time coaching in Chicago and is now overseeing the worst power play I have seen run by the Devils since Mark Recchi was the offensive assistant. I thought Brad Shaw deserved the Flyers job based on how he performed there with John Tortorella, but he has overseen a massive regression in defensive performance at five-on-five and the penalty kill from his predecessor in Ryan McGill, who I liked, and I don’t think he deserves anything more in New Jersey with how putrid our penalty kill and defensive breakout has been.

But Keefe was asked about his job security by Ryan Novozinsky last night, and he surprised me with his answer. Most coaches would say “no comment” or just leave it at “it’s out of my hands.” Keefe didn’t do that. He paused, thought about it, and went into a response about how the organization can take the team’s struggle as a real opportunity to look at themselves in the big picture and take the steps they need to take to become a “real hockey team.”

I know what this team needs, and I’ve gotta get them going. But I’m also well aware of the business, and how it works.

This on its own does not read like too much of a statement, but he just kept talking in response to a question — again — most coaches would have left at a one-line answer.

To me, this is…uh…we can use this as an organization as a great opportunity to take great steps in the big picture. And, because, we have a lot of things we need to do better at, you know. And uh when we lose focus on that and we get ahead of ourselves these kind of things happen. We got work to do to become a real hockey team. I think there’s a perception that we’re we were a real hockey team before the work was put in and you get exposed.

The last I checked, players on the ice are not responsible for taking “great steps” in the big picture.

To be honest, I think that Keefe is correct. The big picture from the front office is suspect at the moment. But a lot of this season’s troubles fall on him, too. The Devils have a lot of fast skaters — Tom Fitzgerald sought out faster skaters in Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, and Luke Glendening in the offseason. One would think that would set up a system that’s built more around forechecking and offensive zone control than a trap game with a dump-and-chase. Repeatedly, I have heard Keefe say that the team needs to keep the game in front of them. But even when they do so, they’re often giving up goals against because they do not pressure shooters and play defense like they’re just hoping a shot hits them instead of the net.

Keefe likes a gritty game. That’s great — other available former head coaches like John Tortorella and Pete DeBoer push gritty games, too. But grit doesn’t just happen in the neutral zone and defensive zone, it has to come on all 200 feet of the ice. If your team is regularly ceding the forecheck to sit back in the neutral zone, but they also don’t stop the other team at the center ice red line, and they also play an ultra-conservative defensive zone game, they’re just letting themselves get hemmed in the defensive zone repeatedly throughout the season.

And when they do finally get possession, are they getting numbers the other way? Or is one Devil trying to skate the puck in against three opponents? Are they dumping the puck and getting to it first? No, they aren’t conditioned to forecheck, so they don’t get dump-ins. Is not forechecking what the team needs?

Then, when the do get all five skaters in the offensive zone, do they get to the net? No. They regularly run a three-high offensive zone system in which players like Jesper Bratt give up the advantages of their skating ability to stand smack in the middle of the blueline without a defenseman activating so the forward can fire a weak one-timer through weak traffic into the goalie’s stomach. Low-to-high offenses can work, but only if the offense has numbers by the net. Opposing teams know they can outnumber the Devils around the net, so deflections are rare and rebounds are nonexistent. By the time the Devils have numbers crashing the net for a loose puck, there are four opponent skaters and the goalie hounding it.

A result: the Devils generate shots from the middle, but goalies are able to stay squared up because of the lack of varied angles.

The Devils are motionless. They play so much of the game at a near-standstill. Is it the players not listening to what Keefe asks them to do, or is Keefe too stubborn to see the flaws in his system?

And is he too stubborn to see how poorly players are performing? Why is Luke Glendening, who seems to be tracking as having the worst skater season in HockeyViz’s tracking history (since 2006), still getting so much ice time and a nightly role? Why is Ondrej Palat, who is on track for 15 points, not being sent a message? Why has he not asked for someone better than Paul Cotter, who has seen the Devils outscored at a 9 to 1 rate when on the fourth line this season? Why is he rolling four lines with those players on the ice?

Dave Rogalski, Goaltending Coach​

Tom Fitzgerald, Lindy Ruff, and the New Jersey Devils hired goaltender coach Dave Rogalski on October 23, 2020. This is how the team has performed in goal since then:

• 2020-21: .897 team SV%, 3.16 GAA (LG average: .908 SV%)
• 2021-22: .886 team SV%, 3.52 GAA (LG average: .907 SV%)
• 2022-23: .908 team SV%, 2.56 GAA (LG average: .904 SV%)
• 2023-24: .896 team SV%, 3.12 GAA (LG average: .903 SV%)
• 2024-25: .904 team SV%, 2.51 GAA (LG average: .900 SV%)
• 2025-26: .896 team SV%, 3.09 GAA (LG average: .897 SV%)

Out of six seasons out of goalie coach, Dave Rogalski has only twice had his goaltenders perform above league average. Not so coincidentally, those are the only two out of five full seasons where the Devils have made the playoffs. In this span of time, the Devils have had three head coaches and the following goaltenders.

• Mackenzie Blackwood
• Scott Wedgewood
• Aaron Dell
• Eric Comrie
• Jon Gillies
• Nico Daws
• Andrew Hammond
• Jonathan Bernier
• Akira Schmid
• Vitek Vanecek
• Kaapo Kahkonen
• Jake Allen
• Jacob Markstrom

With 13 goalies over just five-plus seasons, the New Jersey Devils have yet to find a tandem that could stay together for more than a single season while staying around a league average save percentage the entire time.

What is most shocking about this season is that Jake Allen has been good, even close to great in goal. With a .909 save percentage, he is 17th in the league in save percentage among goalies with 15 or more games played. Among goalies with 20 or more games played, Allen is 10th. This means that Jacob Markstrom — the goalie that Markstrom signed to a high-dollar extension to be a starting, 1A goaltender — has dragged the team down with his .878 save percentage through 22 appearances.

For Rogalski, his saving grace was always that he hadn’t really gotten a great tandem to work with. But his first two goalies, Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood, are now two of the best-performing goaltenders in the league with the Colorado Avalanche. Jacob Markstrom is now even worse than Vitek Vanecek was in the 2023-24 season, when he was considered unplayable with an .890 save percentage.

It’s a serious problem. You can hide behind the goal scoring to some extent, but this team was built to win 2-1, 3-2, and 1-0 games. If you have a goalie who will regularly give up 3 or more, regardless of the quality of chances given up, the team isn’t going to win. For Markstrom, it seems to be a positioning and fundamentals issue. He’s sliding in and out of the crease too easily. He’s dropping to the butterfly with potential shooters still 30 or 40 feet from the net. He’s playing the puck recklessly. It can be one of two things: the coaching isn’t working, or Fitzgerald made a huge mistake rushing to extend Markstrom.

Either way, fire Rogalski since you can’t fire Markstrom.

Jeremy Colliton, Offensive Assistant Coach​

The Devils have too many high-skilled players with a history of power play success to be this bad with the man advantage. Full stop. Colliton needs to go.

Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Stefan Noesen, Dawson Mercer, Dougie Hamilton, and Luke Hughes. If you cannot make a functioning PP1 out of that group, you have failed. Honestly, that’s enough personnel for two pretty good power plays, especially when factoring Arseny Gritsyuk into the second unit.

The Devils started well with 10 power play goals in the 31 opportunities (32.26%) they had in their first 11 games. Between then and Jack Hughes’s injury at the Chicago steakhouse, the team went 1 for 13 (7.69%). Between then and his return, the power play went 8 for 47 (17.02%). Since then: 4 for 20 (20%). In total, a 16.25% conversion rate since the first 11 games of the season has helped bury this team in the standings, as their power play looks more like the kind of units that would run about 20 years ago than one in this era of NHL hockey.

Consider that the Devils have three one-timer threats in Dougie Hamilton, Timo Meier, and Arseny Gritsyuk. Unfortunately, none of those three players are favored to be on the top unit at the current moment. Meier and Gritsyuk can’t both take one-timers on PP2, and Dougie is not being fed any passes when he’s put in the one-timer position around the left circle. The result? Just like their five-on-five offense, the Devils’ power play does not vary the angle of their attack, shooting entirely from the middle and right side.

Do you want to guess where HockeyViz notes the Devils have their best finishing? It’s when they take slap shots in the left circle: right where they take the fewest shots on their power play and at five-on-five.

Could Dawson Mercer or Connor Brown be utilized there on PP2? What about Cody Glass? Why is Dougie Hamilton not firing one-timers from the left circle every 10 or 15 seconds on PP1?

As it works now, Jesper Bratt or Jack Hughes works from the left-side half-wall and tries to thread passes through the middle to the right side. They shoot, they jam, but it’s gotten so repetitive that even their high level of passing skill is not enough to create from that position alone anymore. For the love of all that is good in this world, Jeremy Colliton needs to be replaced with an offensive assistant that will push a different approach at both five-on-five and on the power play.

Maybe Jack Hughes or Jesper Bratt are really the power play quarterbacks, similar to how Sheldon Keefe used Mitch Marner in Toronto. Maybe those forwards work from the center point and feed either Dougie Hamilton or Timo Meier for one-timers, with Nico Hischier in the bumper and Stefan Noesen in the crease.

Something else, please. Fire Colliton.

Brad Shaw, Defensive Assistant​

I do not think Brad Shaw should be fired yet. It’s his first year in New Jersey, and I personally think there are bigger fish to fry.

But this much is true: there was nothing wrong with what Ryan McGill had done in New Jersey before being dismissed by Keefe and Fitzgerald. When he was let go, I wrote in the title that McGill might be missed. I wrote in the article:

Still, looking at where the defense has ranked over these three years, there has been a lot more good than bad with McGill. The 2022-23 coaching staff of Lindy Ruff, Andrew Brunette, and Ryan McGill seemed to be a perfect blend of strengths and weaknesses, along with a roster well-suited to their approach. Now, with Sheldon Keefe and Jeremy Colliton also behind the bench, the Devils’ coaching staff was rather defensively-biased in 2024-25. Keefe has a strong defensive reputation and preaches fundamental details, and would generally rather see his team wait for the opportunity to come to them than make a mistake by taking a risk. McGill got good results out of his guys, though, and I don’t think you can explain this move with numbers. The numbers say McGill did a good job.

These were the aforementioned numbers:

This season, the Devils are ranked:

• 17th in total goals against — 3.08/60, on track for about 252-257 goals against
• 16th in total expected goals against — 3.23/60, on track for about 265-270 expected goals against
• 23rd in 5v5 goals against per 60 — 2.71/60
• 23rd in 5v5 expected goals against per 60 — 2.72/60
• 22nd in PK goals against per 60 — 8.17/60
• 27th in PK expected goals against per 60 — 9.78/60

For a coach like Brad Shaw, who has regularly seen his defenses from St. Louis to Philadelphia finish top ten in real goal metrics, these are horrific numbers. For a team that has over $36 million of cap space devoted to defensemen, with two making $9 million and another three making $4 million or more (albeit with one on LTIR), this is unacceptable.

Luke Hughes is regressing. He played his best hockey under Lindy Ruff and Ryan McGill two years ago as a rookie.

Jonas Siegenthaler’s defensive game has taken steps back, as he used to be the Devils’ best left-handed defenseman at preventing transitions through the neutral zone. Now he sits back behind the blueline and never makes any plays against entries.

Shaw has been unable to leverage Pesce, Dillon, Siegenthaler, and Hamilton into a good penalty kill. He never thought to replace either lefty with Colton White for a longer stretch despite the Devils allowing zero shot attempts on his three penalty killing shifts with the other defensemen in the box.

Shaw is failing at his job. If there is not a serious turnaround by the end of the season, I do not know how Keefe or Keefe’s potential replacement could justify keeping him around. It does not look good. These defensemen were paid to make plays, but it looks more and more like Sheldon Keefe and Brad Shaw have systematically neutered them in a similar fashion to how Keefe and Colliton have neutered the forwards. But with respect to Shaw’s long history of good job performance with different teams and this being his first season with the Devils, I don’t think he should go just yet.

Last Words and Your Thoughts​

A system change is needed. If these coaches cannot deliver that, multiple coaches — not just the head coach — need to be fired and replaced. In my opinion, Colliton and Rogalski have both been around for long enough and have had poor enough progress with so many players that their firings are overdue. Keefe is teetering on the edge of a knife at best, but Shaw should be safe.

No matter if Tom Fitzgerald is fired (and I will have words about him on a different day, as I think I’ve said enough about him this week, along with Jared and Gerard), these coaches need to get more out of the team they have been given. The season is over halfway gone, and the clock is ticking faster than the Devils can put out all of their on-ice fires.

But what do you think of this coaching staff? Do you think differently about them? Do you agree? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and thanks for reading.

As always, big thanks to HockeyViz and Natural Stat Trick for their great data tracking.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ling-coaches-goaltenders-and-schematic-issues

 

[New Jersey Devils]

A Tale of Two Games: How the Devils Showed the Rot Starts From the Front Office

Put Tuesday’s game out of your mind for a moment.

On Sunday night, New Jersey Devils fans raised eyebrows and perked ears around the league as they repeatedly booed Luke Hughes over two gaffes leading to goals against in their loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The timing of it feeds into the worst pot-stirrers league-adjacent media has to offer, from speculation about what Bill Guerin is thinking to whether the Devils will be able to keep a defenseman they just signed to seven-year contract this season. Allowing the media to turn this into “where will the Hughes brothers actually end up” was not just annoying, it shielded four people — Tom Fitzgerald, Sheldon Keefe, Brad Shaw, and Jeremy Colliton — from scrutiny and criticism.

Today, we’ll focus on Tom Fitzgerald. Locking Luke Hughes up over the summer should have been a priority. But after Luke Hughes had a rough start in 2024-25 due to missing camp, Fitzgerald learned nothing and had Hughes miss most of camp again before a deal was done. I was assured that these are professionals and missing camp isn’t a big deal, but why has Luke stagnated or regressed in each of the last two seasons? To reiterate, he missed camp both times, so is it really not a big deal?

But missing camp is just one thing. The content of the contract is another. I repeatedly wrote over the summer about how the Devils could use deferred salary to make it easier to give Luke a long-term extension while better managing the team’s immediate cap issues. Of course, the ask from Pat Brisson ended up higher than originally expected, with Hughes’s camp wanting a $9 million figure rather than an $8 million average annual value to match his brother. So that made the math more difficult. Still, clearing up half a million or more from that cap hit would put the Devils in a much better position now. And for Luke, who is being paid $9 million this season, having some of that money deferred to a 2032 payout would more accurately reflect the expected growth of his skills over the course of his contract.

For fans seeing a player make bad plays, the money that player is making factors much more into the fan reaction than those players might expect. Luke Hughes is not on an entry-level contract anymore. And as much as I would like to say he’s at an age where he should be able to make mistakes, learn, and grow, he’s going to be treated like a player making $9 million, or nearly 10% of the team’s salary cap. Maybe Brisson and Hughes would not have been interested in deferral, but they still would have gotten the money while making the Devils’ situation easier this season while also being able to say, actually, Luke is only making $4 million this season because of deferrals.

But, to my knowledge — as I never saw it reported as an option on the table — Fitzgerald never brought deferral up with Luke’s camp. So, with Fitzgerald probably feeling like he had to go long-term after Jim Rutherford’s tamper-y comments about the Hughes brothers, the Devils got their worst-case scenario outcome for a Hughes extension from a salary cap standpoint. The Devils were then handcuffed, nobody seems eager to bail Fitzgerald out of his mess, and the fans were directing more ire at Luke Hughes than they should have on Sunday. While he’s at an age where he should still be growing, fans treat him like he’s at an age where he should be a complete product.

Flash forward from there to Tuesday.

If Devils fans were frustrated with the team in a 3-1 loss to Carolina on Sunday, they should be infuriated after the loss on Tuesday. They should carry that rage with them for the rest of the season.

I do not think the absolute core of the Devils is at fault for this slide — that is, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Luke Hughes. Luke is obviously still too young and underdeveloped to flip this team on its head at will, but Nico and Jack were not at fault or even in the play for any of the nine goals against on Tuesday night. On the only goal allowed by Markstrom with Nico and Jack on the ice, Luke Hughes had made a good defensive play on a rush against after the Devils’ power play expired, but Markstrom did not track the puck and opened his five hole wide for Casey Cizikas.

Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes can only play so many minutes. I can say that they need to finish on one or two of those chances they had on Tuesday, but scoring one goal isn’t going to stop the rest of the team from imploding. Hockey is a team sport where your second and third lines matter just as much as your first: the best playoff teams are those who can trust three scoring lines to handle 15 to 20 minutes of work a night. Having a balanced attack means a more tired opponent, and a more tired opponent tends to make more mistakes against top players.

Nothing can help having a goalie that can give up nine goals on 23 shots, on just 1.62 expected goals against. Again, it’s one thing if this is just another season for the goaltender, knowing that the team could maybe move on from him during or after the season. But Jacob Markstrom has a no-move clause, and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald rushed to sign Markstrom to a two-year, $12 million extension. Where was this rush for Luke Hughes? Why did Luke Hughes miss camp just so Brisson could still come out seemingly with exactly what their camp wanted while Jacob Markstrom gets a two-year extension — at no discount — eight months before he was due to be a free agent?

Perhaps if the Devils did not have two old goaltenders, Sheldon Keefe might have been willing to pull Markstrom after five goals. Maybe we wouldn’t have gotten so angry had that happened. But Jake Allen often deals with a cramping issue from overuse, and Keefe wants to win a game tonight. I don’t blame him for saving Allen for today, even if Keefe should always have a backup he’s willing to insert into the game. If he doesn’t, it’s a roster construction issue. It’s not like either of these goalies are on pace to play more than 50 games, let alone 60 or 70. He should have a backup ready to go. If he doesn’t, they are too old to play together without a third in the mix.

I might be a little more moderate on firing Tom Fitzgerald than some Devils writers and fans, but the pressure is mounting. If you haven’t read Jared’s piece from yesterday afternoon, I suggest you do so. Fitzgerald is hardly the only questionable figure in the organization, and it does not seem like the organization actually has an internal option who would be an improvement from Fitzgerald. Personally, I think Fitz should be given a few more weeks, but he should not be allowed to run a trade deadline if the team is still out of it by February.

But Fitzgerald has saddled the team with too much baggage. No-move clauses, no-trade clauses, $6 million for Ondrej Palat, and a two-year extension for Markstrom makes this team’s situation much more difficult to manage than it should be. For all of the rumors from Friedman or whoever else, how can this team even add forwards? Even if they did move Palat, likely paying a team to take him off their hands, that would only free up enough cap space to activate Johnny Kovacevic from long-term injured reserve.

For a team that is struggling to score as much as the Devils — this is certainly the worst-finishing team in the NHL — moving Dougie Hamilton will only make the defense even more inept at moving the puck. Dougie has certainly had a lot of issues after injuring his knee for the second time in a year, but the Devils just do not get shots on goal when he’s off the ice. So are we really trusting Fitzgerald to make the right move here, likely losing a Hamilton trade to make room for a no-offense defenseman in Johnny Kovacevic?

Of course, the Devils should have defensive impact players. The problem is they don’t have enough offensive impact players along with an incredibly inconsistent goaltending tandem. Fitzgerald has to own that, and his only way of improving the offensive situation while staying under the cap is to hope that one of his prospects can come up from the AHL and make a difference. But there’s a problem with that, too: Devils scouting has fallen off a cliff from the Shero years to now. The team has one solid option to improve the offense up front, and that’s Lenni Hameenaho, who has played only 30 games in the AHL. The fact that there are so few young players who can be given a chance in the NHL is another indictment of Fitzgerald, who was running the Devils in rebuild mode until not even four years ago. The end of the rebuild should be coming into their own now, but the mid-range prospects are entirely missing. If it’s not coming from top picks like Luke, Nemec, and Mercer, the Devils have nothing.

The Devils are paying the price now, reliant on veterans who can’t score a goal to save their lives. So that’s where we end up, with a total collapse of a performance on the road after the fanbase booed one young player with all the potential in the world at home.

For more on those players, keep an eye out for Gerard’s article later today.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...s-showed-the-rot-starts-from-the-front-office

 

[JJ]

OH MAN where do I even start with this dumpster fire??

Look, as a Sabres fan I've seen some ROUGH hockey over the years but holy crap the Devils are giving us a run for our money right now. 14-0 over 6 periods?? 115 minutes without scoring?? That's the kind of stuff that makes you want to throw your TV out the window.

And can we talk about that list of random players who would lead your team in goals?? BOBBY MCMANN?? OLIVER KAPANEN?? No offense to those guys but if you told me before the season that a team with Hischier, Jack Hughes, Bratt, and Meier would be getting outscored by half the league's third liners I would've laughed you out of the building.

That article about the coaching staff is SPOT ON though. Colliton running the PP into the ground when you have THAT much talent is absolutely criminal. You've got one-timer threats all over the place and they're just standing around at the top of the circles shooting into goalie chests. It's like watching peewee hockey with NHL salaries.

The Markstrom extension is gonna haunt Fitzgerald for YEARS. Rushed to lock up the goalie, dragged his feet on Luke Hughes. Absolutely backwards priorities. And now you're stuck with a .878 save percentage from your "starter" who has a no-move clause. BRILLIANT.

111 days since Fitzgerald talked to the media?? That tells you everything you need to know about accountability in that organization right now.

At least you guys scored one goal I guess?? Progress!!

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #45: New Jersey Devils at Winnipeg Jets

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (22-20-2) at Winnipeg Jets (16-22-5).

The Time: 2:00pm ET

The Broadcast: MSGSN, Devils Radio Network

The Game Preview: I wrote the preview this morning.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ethread-45-new-jersey-devils-at-winnipeg-jets

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Lazy Gaffes By Nemec, Soft Net Defense by Dillon, Poor Positioning by Allen Sink Devils in 4-3 Loss to Jets

First Period​

The New Jersey Devils, fresh off of some good news, some bad news, and some unnecessary drama, started their road game against the Winnipeg Jets pretty well. The Jets had a lot of trouble breaking through them in the neutral zone, leading to the Devils outshooting the Jets four to one in the first 10 minutes of the period. Play was pretty slow, though. Luke Hughes made some good plays, but missed two opportunities to create scoring chances. One one occasion, Luke made a great defensive play and took the puck into the offensive zone with one passing option covered. Instead of walking in and shooting, Luke waited for reinforcements and turned the puck over with a pass back to the blueline. Later, Simon Nemec had a chance to spring the Devils in transition after some poor puck handling by the Devils nearly led to a scoring chance for Winnipeg. But, after getting the puck from Luke Hughes, Nemec lackadaisically backhanded a pass way too far in front of his teammate while skating backwards through the neutral zone.

After the Devils’ defense had a scary moment with the puck going just over the crossbar in their own end a few minutes later, they got back into the offensive zone with first liners changing on after the fourth line tried to shoot from far out. Nemec had a chance to feed Jack Hughes or Paul Cotter with a defender lying down, but he fanned on the pass and Jack collected the puck, trying to feed Nemec. The puck was deflected, but Nemec chose to shoot through traffic rather than keep the cycle going, leading to the Jets blocking his shot in the slot. With five minutes remaining, Bratt found Hughes in the neutral zone, but Connor Hellebuyck shuttered the five hole when Jack dipped around the defense for a short break.

With four minutes to play, Brenden Dillon and Simon Nemec were caught sleeping as Cole Perfetti got behind them on a three-on-two for a redirection that Jake Allen stopped. Less than a minute later, Collin Miller went awkwardly into the boards after a collision with Arseny Gritsyuk, with Miller having to be immediately helped off the ice for what looked like a knee injury. Gritsyuk was only called for a two-minute interference minor penalty, and the Devils went to the kill.

Against Winnipeg’s power play, Jake Allen came up big right away with a save on a deflection chance. Late in the kill, Allen kicked out a shot to Nico Hischier for a big final clear. But after Winnipeg regained the zone for a final shot, Simon Nemec failed to clear the puck with Gritsyuk out of the box, passing right into traffic. The Jets came crashing back down, and some wild bounces led to Alex Iafallo putting the Jets up 1-0.

Thankfully, the Devils would not go into the intermission down a goal. Nico Hischier won a draw, got to the net, and slipped the puck right through Hellebuyck’s five-hole off a hard pass by Luke Hughes! The Devils took that 1-1 score into intermission.

Second Period​

The Devils took the lead just after the first minute of the period when Jack Hughes took the neutral zone, passing off to his brother, who found Cody Glass for a redirection!

But Simon Nemec gave it right back. With a blueline turnover, Brenden Dillon could not fight off Jonathan Toews, biting too hard while Nemec lazily backchecked behind the goal by Cole Perfetti, walking back after just a few strides as Pefetti roofed a backhand (it was initially credited to Toews on the putback, which Nemec barely defended, but I think the initial shot was in).

But the Devils would not be held down! Luke Glendening banged the puck off Hellebuyck, and Palat screened the slot as Jonas Siegenthaler ripped a go-ahead goal! Just three and a half minutes in, the Devils went up 3-2…but the Jets challenged for goaltender interference. Paul Cotter was ruled for interfering with Connor Hellebuyck outside of the blue paint. And back to 2-2 it went.

Then, Jonas Siegenthaler was called for holding the big Mark Scheifele, who went down like a 5’5” wet rag. The Devils went to the penalty kill for the second time. But this time, the Devils not only killed the penalty, but they didn’t allow a goal afterwards.

Then they took the lead again! Coming onto the ice for Nemec, Johnny Kovacevic hard dumped to the far corner from center ice when the Devils were pushed to center. Jack Hughes then caught the Jets sleeping, firing a slap shot off of Hellebuyck. Cody Glass jumped on the rebound and whipped a shot at goal, beating Hellebuyck before he could recover from the first shot! The Devils actually went up 3-2 here.

With around six minutes to play, Nico Hischier drew a holding penalty from Josh Morrissey. The power play was not that great in the first minute, but they kept possession of the puck. In the second minute, after Arseny Gritsyuk missed on a chance, the Devils had a lot of trouble stringing passes together. So, they didn’t score.

After the first line had an outstanding shift following the power play, the Jets tied the game. Gabriel Vilardi poked the puck in after Cole Perfetti split the defense to backhand the puck off the post, with Allen not sealing it off. 3-3. On the shift prior, Nico Hischier had a great forechecking takeaway, but Bratt got too fancy with his move off the pass and lost the puck. Had he scored, the Devils would have been at the point of having a near-insurmountable lead for Winnipeg. But, alas, the game remained tied into the third.

Third Period​

The Devils looked much slower to start the third period, but they did not allow the Jets to get good scoring chances in the opening minutes. While the second period was a rush-fest, the third started as a dump-off. The Jets did eventually get the first real chance — again with Dillon and Nemec on the ice — as Dillon failed to seal off Nino Neidereitter by the net when Namestikov spun off Dillon. From Morrissey’s point shot, Neidereitter went diving at the loose puck with Dillon driving him into a diving Jake Allen, who somehow kept the puck out of the net.

On the very next shift, the Jets scored. Tanner Pearson got behind Luke Hughes, and Luke Glendening could not deter the driving Josh Morrissey to set the goal up, putting the Jets up 4-3. Allen failed to get his stick out far enough to deflect the pass right through the middle of his crease.

The Devils ended up outshot 8-0 for 13 minutes before getting a shot on goal — a jam try from the first line. With chaos in front, the puck came out to Johnny Kovacevic with all the time in the world to shoot, but he shot it well wide.

Jack Hughes stopped a potential game-ending empty net goal on a two-on-one with just over a minute left, and the Devils got an icing call in their favor with 47 seconds to play. After a timeout, the Devils won their faceoff, but Hellebuyck made the save on Luke Hughes, and the Jets iced it again with 33.7 to play. After another faceoff win, Timo Meier sent the puck through the paint, but nobody was in front of the net. Timo Meier then set Arseny Gritsyuk up for a perfect redirection chance, but Gritsyuk sent it wide with the net open.

Devils lose, 4-3.

The Game Stats:

Nemec or Dillon Need to Sit​

Today, we had a defenseman, with a man coming out of the box, weakly turn the puck over to the opposition before running amuck in the crease, knocking the puck into the net. Later in the game, the same defenseman turned the puck over at the blueline, letting his partner deal with a two-on-one while he made no effort to backcheck, walking back like it was the end of the blowout and he had cinder blocks on his skates.

Wait, I am hearing that Douglas J. Hamilton was not playing.

It was actually Simon Nemec, who skated throughout today’s game at the pace of a light walk. He is one of the right-handed defensemen who is now supposedly healthy after getting hurt this season. I would call the goal against on Thursday where he dove aimlessly to “try” blocking a pass for a guy who had been cherry-picking out of the penalty box a mistake. Today? It looked like Simon Nemec did not care.

Brenden Dillon was no saint, either. For a guy who is supposed to be the toughest guy on the Devils blueline, he got worked over multiple times around the net today, leading to one goal against and nearly another in the third, as he continually allowed players to spin off of him after weakly playing their stick. Dillon is supposed to be our grit and snarl guy — the guy who will check and slash and push and bully guys out of the crease. He looked like he was playing at half his size today.

If this is about getting the best product on the ice, Dougie Hamilton needs to play over one of these two tomorrow. Before the game, Keefe noted that Kovacevic might not be ready for a back-to-back, anyway, but I would rather see White and Hamilton come in for Dillon and Nemec.

Rogalski Needs to Be Fired​

How many times this season are we going to see one of these things happening in a game from our goaltenders?

• The goalie doesn’t hug the post on a wide-angled shot, leading to a goal against
• The goalie doesn’t block a pass right through the crease, leading to a goal against
• The goalie is sliding in and out of the crease when the other team really isn’t generating pressure
• The goalie begins to poorly play the puck with the team down, in part due to their poor play

We saw all four from Jake Allen today, who had some early good saves but fell off a cliff afterwards. After what I wrote about Rogalski yesterday, I don’t need to rehash it all. His goalies aren’t positioned well and they make high school-level mistakes. He needs to go three years ago, let alone yesterday or tomorrow.

Who Came to Play Today?​

I would like to submit the following list of players of guys who looked like they were genuinely trying to win throughout the game.

• Luke Hughes
• Jack Hughes
• Nico Hischier
• Cody Glass
• Johnny Kovacevic
• Brett Pesce

So much of the rest of the team looks checked out. Maybe Gritsyuk is still hurt, and he wanted that last goal. Timo Meier is certainly frustrated and is playing like it. Nemec is probably still hurt, but he could stand to actually play with a purpose. And maybe the wiped off goal hurt Siegenthaler and the team, but that’s no excuse.

They let themselves get bullied around the net time and time again. The first line is the only line creating chances. Even when Glass scored, he was coming on with first liners.

When Nico scored the first Devils goal, only Luke Hughes celebrated.

And repeatedly, even with a lead, the Devils had defenders in Nemec and Dillon both give soft efforts leading to game-tying goals.

But when the game was tied in the third? No effort whatsoever. And it’s not like Keefe had them come out of their shell of an ultra-conservative “offensive” system. The second, third, and fourth lines generated fewer shots combined than the first. You need multiple scoring lines to win.

Failing that, you need highly skilled offensive defensemen who can create chances. Without that, it’s game over.

For these Devils, it’s looking more like the season is over. Prove me wrong.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ing-by-allen-sinks-devils-in-4-3-loss-to-jets

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Soaring Highs And Unfulfilled Promise: Dougie Hamilton As A New Jersey Devil

Going back to the offseason, there has been varying degrees of smoke around the future of New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Entering the fifth year of a seven-year, $63m contract he signed back in 2021, Hamilton’s play and physical health were starting to decline. So much so that apparently Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald saw fit to shop him over the summer. Nothing came of those explorations, and so New Jersey entered 2025-26 with Hamilton on their roster.

Fast forward to this past weekend, and we appear to be entering the endgame with Hamilton and the Devils. Thanks almost entirely to Fitzgerald’s alarming incompetence at managing the roster and salary cap, New Jersey was unable to accommodate the impending return of Johnny Kovacevic both on the ice and on the books. The issue of the salary cap was resolved with Stefan Noesen undergoing knee surgery and being placed on LTIR, and Zack MacEwen following him there with ACL surgery.

As for the logjam on the blueline? Apparently Fitzgerald and head coach Sheldon Keefe decided it was Hamilton who needed to hit the press box. This prompted a lot of speculation and a lot of actual responses. First, from Hamilton’s agent:

“Dougie was informed today that he will be not be playing now that Kovacevic is back in the lineup. In our view, this decision is all about business rather than his game right now. Singling him out seems very calculated at this stage. Dougie has a 10-team trade list and there have been efforts to trade him going back to the draft last year. We have made it clear to the Devils that we will consider teams outside our list and other creative ways to get to a team that is mutually acceptable.”

It’s unusual to see statements this fiery, even from player agents, who are generally more prone to quotes like this one. This would have been juicy enough, but Fitzgerald saw fit to throw more gasoline on the fire with a statement of his own to the same reporter:

“As you know, we just put Nemec back in the lineup on Thursday. He’s a young guy who we want getting his game back, where he had been easily our best defensemen before his injury. Pesce’s play speaks for itself, he isn’t going anywhere. And Kovacevic coming back, gives our roster a spark we are looking for, and he was our best defensive defenseman all of last year. And that’s what we want with our lineup now. This is simply Dougie being the odd-man out with where our right-side is- fully healthy for the first time all year. This is business. Business of our lineup!”

This is a story for another day, but just a quick aside here: Am I the only one who is profoundly annoyed by Fitzgerald disappearing whenever things are going bad, but taking victory laps with his national media cronies whenever things are going well? The only other time we see him make a public statement is when he feels the need to get in front of a story like this one. I’m not saying he needs to hold press conferences every week, but it’s such a gutless move for him to be such a frontrunner in the media during good times, then duck when things get bad.

Anyway, what a mess this is. And it really, really, REALLY didn’t have to be this way. There were a ton of off-ramps for Fitzgerald to take that didn’t involve alienating a top defenseman and popular player in the locker room, but Fitzgerald decided to barrel straight ahead into the danger zone anyway. It’s a masterclass in roster mismanagement, salary cap mismanagement, and public relations mismanagement. Other than that, things couldn’t have gone better for Fitzgerald and the Devils.

To attempt to be fair about this, here is at least one defense of Fitzgerald: While it may be frustrating to Fitzgerald (and, to be fair, a portion of Devils fans) that Hamilton refuses to waive his modified no-trade clause to help New Jersey clear their blueline and books, I don’t think anyone with a brain in their head or empathy in their heart actually blames Hamilton for this. He negotiated a modified NTC in his contract, and so it is absolutely his right to exercise it as he sees fit. Good on Hamilton for not just rolling over to help a bad general manager bail himself out of a mess he created. But you know what that means? That means the opposite is true as well. While you can’t fault Hamilton for using his weapon (the modified NTC) to get what he wants, I think it’s reasonable to not blame management for using their own weapon (healthy scratches) to get what they want. It’s a business, and this business can be ruthless sometimes, and Hamilton and his agent should expect the Devils’ front office to fight fire with fire.

But that’s the only defense of Fitzgerald I’ll offer, and I don’t even agree with it fully. Even if it’s fair for Fitzgerald and Keefe to healthy scratch Hamilton in an attempt to get him to waive his NTC, it’s been a comedy of unforced errors that got us to this point. Not to mention, even though Hamilton’s contract is the most bloated, I personally think he’s been among the least of the Devils’ problems on the blueline this season. According to Hockey Stat Cards, Hamilton actually leads New Jersey defensemen in average Game Score. Meanwhile, old friend CJ Turtoro has seen fit to point out that Hamilton appears not to be the problem on defense either. Others are bringing up the fact that while he is not bringing what he should bring to the table offensively, a large part of that is weirdly tough defensive usage, to say nothing of the fact that Hamilton is actually doing reasonably well in that usage.

Why not do this with Ondrej Palat? He’s another player that has smoke around him as far as a trade goes, but not anywhere close to as much as with Hamilton. Palat is only making two-thirds what Hamilton is, but he’s been FAR less than two-thirds as valuable as Hamilton, so the bang for the buck favors Hamilton. Why isn’t Palat getting the healthy scratch treatment? It makes no sense.

I have to admit, I did advocate for Hamilton to get banished to the scratch suite in my game recap of the 9-0 disaster against the Islanders, so I might come across as a hypocrite for bemoaning Hamilton’s benching here. But in my defense, that was made in a completely emotional state of mind after one of the worst embarrassments I’ve ever seen the Devils put together, AND I also said that Palat should be benched right alongside him. I just wanted change, I was disgusted at everything, and I thought something needed to be done about it. In retrospect, Hamilton did not deserve to be put in the same category as Palat.

In any case, whether you like how this has all unfolded or not, it really does appear that we are reaching the end of the road with Hamilton in New Jersey. Is it possible something wild happens that gets Hamilton back on the ice and keeps him in New Jersey until the end of his contract? Sure, stranger things have happened. But we have to admit it’s highly unlikely at this point. So since we are presumably nearing the end, I figured it was time to look back on Hamilton’s tenure in the Garden State. The highs, the lows, and everything in between.

Let’s take a look at what Dougie Hamilton has done as a New Jersey Devil:

The Big Fish Was Reeled In​

Let’s begin, well, at the beginning. Dougie Hamilton was by far the biggest free agent in the class of 2021. Hamilton had spent the prior three seasons in Carolina, where he put up 121 points in 184 games, while finishing 14th, seventh, and fourth in Norris trophy voting in his three seasons there. Hamilton was an elite defensemen during his time with the Hurricanes, and it was his time to be paid like one. Meanwhile, the Devils were still in the depths of a rebuild. They had some promising young pieces like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt, and they just added another one in the draft with Luke Hughes. So while one could dream about a brighter future, that day had not arrived quite yet.

That’s when Hamilton chose the Devils. A seven-year, $63m contract brought him to New Jersey.

It really cannot be understated just how big a deal it was for Hamilton to sign with the Devils. As a smaller market team in the shadow of New York, this has never been a popular free agent destination. Not that it was a toxic location that free agents actively avoided, just that the big fish almost always chose elsewhere. Well, Hamilton was the biggest fish, and he chose New Jersey. It was borderline unprecedented for this franchise. Seriously, thinking back on it, the last “big” free agent to sign with the Devils might be Will Butcher. I know you might laugh reading that now, but dial your mind back to 2017. Butcher was the hottest college free agent to hit the market in a long time after not reaching an agreement with the team that drafted him, the Colorado Avalanche. Plenty of teams wanted him, and he landed on the Devils as his preferred destination. It was genuinely a big deal at the time.

But it was nowhere close to Hamilton’s signing. So if that was the bar, it was a very low bar, and Hamilton cleared it by miles. In hindsight, Hamilton signing here did not lead to a slew of top free agents coming to New Jersey. Then again not many truly elite players hit the market each year, so I suppose it’s possible that if more of them got to free agency, at least one of them would also have signed with the Devils in part thanks to Hamilton. But Hamilton’s signing definitely made the Devils a much more appealing destination, helping their reputation across the league. As we write Hamilton’s story in the wake of his seemingly imminent departure, we must remember to include in that story the fact that his signing in New Jersey changed things for this franchise for the better.

By The Numbers​

Hamilton was signed in New Jersey to produce points and generate offense (AKA, advanced stats). How did he fare in that regard? We’ll start with basic point production:

Season	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points
2021-22	62	9	21	30
2022-23	82	22	52	74
2023-24	20	5	11	16
2024-25	64	9	31	40
2025-26	40	5	5	10
Total	268	50	120	170

As of this writing, Hamilton ranks fifth all-time among Devils defensemen in goals, 11th in assists, ninth in points, and his 74 points in 2022-23 is the second-most points in a single season by a defenseman in franchise history behind only Scott Stevens’ 78 in 1993-94. In a franchise known for their legendary defensemen, Hamilton climbed the offensive ranks very quickly. His 170 points in 268 games comes out to a point per game pace of approximately 0.63, which is almost dead on from his high-flying Carolina days where he averaged 0.66 points per game.

And what about the advanced numbers, how did they turn out? For that we turn to Natural Stat Trick (all numbers 5-on-5):

Season	CF%	SCF%	HDCF%	xGF%
2021-22	51.78	52.79	56.77	51.72
2022-23	55.18	56.18	55.67	55.84
2023-24	59.66	61.43	58.90	57.02
2024-25	52.30	52.52	50.38	52.20
2025-26	54.51	53.06	56.55	53.49

Take a look at those numbers. Hamilton never – NEVER – dipped below breakeven at any point in his Devils tenure. It was a clean sweep. Yes, some of those numbers were a little too close to 50% for a $9m-defenseman, but at the very least Hamilton could say he always drove possession in a positive way in New Jersey.

It wasn’t a perfect Devils career, but Hamilton was a relentless producer in red and black.

The Highs Were Extremely High​

We just went over Hamilton’s entire Devils career, but what about Hamilton at his absolute peak?

Well, put simply, Hamilton at his best was truly something special.

I would consider the 2022-23 season to be “Hamilton at his best”. It was the only season in which he played all 82 games as a Devil, and boy did he deliver. He scored 22 goals in the regular season, the most by a defenseman since the team moved to New Jersey, and tied for the lead in the entire franchise’s history with Barry Beck’s 22 goals for the 1977-78 Colorado Rockies. As mentioned, his 74 points that season stands as the second-best mark in franchise history by a defenseman. As you can see in the charts above, it wasn’t just empty-calory scoring either. Hamilton was tilting the ice in a huge way that season. On a team of major producers, Hamilton played a leading role on a Devils team that reached 112 points, the most in franchise history.

And then, on April 22, 2023, Hamilton produced inarguably his biggest moment as a Devil:

Down 2-0 in the series after getting blown out in games 1 and 2, the Devils faced a must-win in enemy territory. It was a hard-fought battle late into the night, and Hamilton came up clutch with the overtime game-winner. He, along with Akira Schmid’s heroics, ignited the Devils’ comeback in that series, which culminated in a seven-game series win over their bitter rivals. It remains the high point of Tom Fitzgerald’s tenure.

Forget being worth his $9m price tag, Hamilton was an absolute bargain in 2022-23. It was perhaps the single greatest defenseman season this franchise has seen since Scott Niedermayer’s Norris Trophy-winning campaign of 2003-04. New Jersey does not set a franchise record with 112 points and defeat the Rangers in the first round without Hamilton being one of the best defensemen in the NHL that year.

The Dreaded Injury Bug​

But of course, the one major negative of Hamilton’s time in New Jersey has been his struggle to stay healthy. That magical 2022-23 season? Sadly it was his only fully healthy campaign in a Devils sweater. He did stay mostly healthy in 2021-22 and 2024-25, but he still missed around 25% of each of those campaigns, which is a big chunk of the year. I suppose he was mostly staying healthy this season as well, but he did miss time earlier in the year, and it’s not like this season was shaping up to be anything special either with a meager 10 points in 40 games.

The biggest disappointment to me was the 2023-24 campaign. As we all know now, that season was a massive failure from everybody, as the Devils followed up their record-setting 2022-23 by missing the playoffs altogether. Horrible goaltending was a major factor in that, but another was the ridiculous injury luck the Devils endured. Dougie Hamilton was one of those injuries, suffering a torn pectoral muscle 20 games into the campaign. He did not play again that season. It was such a shame, as he was in the midst of posting another stellar season, basically in line with 2022-23 as far as point production and play-driving. This while getting inexplicably bumped off the top power play unit for a rookie Luke Hughes, which made it even more impressive.

Upon returning at the beginning of 2024-25, he was an effective player, but not quite the same. It’s hard to tell if there was a direct correlation, but post-pec injury, Hamilton’s shot (one of his best tools) took a big step back. In his previous two seasons with New Jersey, Hamilton’s shooting percentage stood at 8.0%. Since his pec injury, he’s been shooting at a a 4.8% clip, a huge drop.

To be fair, it doesn’t appear that the injury has affected the power on his shot though. According to NHL Edge, Hamilton’s hardest shot sat in the 86th percentile in 2021-22, 87th percentile in 2022-23, down to the 73rd percentile in 2023-24, back up to the 86th percentile in 2024-25, and he’s down to the 77th percentile this season. If we didn’t see him get right back to his peak in 2024-25, I would put more stock in the theory that his torn pec has contributed to his shot slowing down this year. But even if the power on his shot wasn’t altered, it seems his accuracy was. It’s been unfortunate watching Hamilton struggle to hit the net the past couple seasons, as it was something he was so good at prior to 2024-25.

The injuries sadly piled up for Hamilton. He has played 268 of a possible 372 (I’m not counting his healthy scratch) games, which comes out to about 72%. That’s an 82-game pace of about 59 games per season. Certainly not what you want out of a prized free agent signing and the highest-paid member of your team.

Final Thoughts And Your Take​

There’s a reason I titled this piece “Soaring Highs and Unfulfilled Promise”. When I think of the absolute best of Dougie Hamilton, I think of a defenseman that could do things that very, very few others could do. His offensive IQ and playmaking were out of this world, his shot was lethal (I might argue he’s the best pure shooter the Devils have had since Ilya Kovalchuk), he was underrated defensively, and whenever he was on the ice, the puck had a habit of usually being in the opponent’s end. He was fearless. He would fire his shot from anywhere on the ice and ask questions later. He ended opponent’s possessions and got the puck moving back up the ice in the blink of an eye. Prime Dougie Hamilton soared with the New Jersey Devils.

But I also can’t help but feel sad at what could have been. What if Hamilton had been able to stay consistently healthy? What if the Devils didn’t get away from what made them special in 2022-23? What if Tom Fitzgerald didn’t mangle the roster and cap sheet so horribly that he forced himself to take extreme measures with one of his best players? Hamilton deserves some blame for the decline of the Devils since 2022-23, as his injuries and declining play (even if he’s still been reasonably effective) have played a role. But I’m of the opinion that Hamilton deserved much better than this.

If Tom Fitzgerald is actually able to trade Hamilton, I have no doubt it will be for pennies on the dollar. And if Hamilton goes to a team with a GM that actually has a clue and a coach that actually knows how to deploy him properly, don’t be surprised to see him “miraculously” find his game again. Hamilton may very well play games for New Jersey again. Injuries and other benchings are possible after all. But even if he does, it really does feel like we are close to the end of the road here.

If this is it for Dougie Hamilton in New Jersey, it’s been a fun and frustrating ride. I’ll be rooting for Hamilton wherever he goes next.

What do you think of this whole saga? What about Hamilton’s career in New Jersey? Aside from the overtime goal against the Rangers, what do you think is Hamilton’s second-best moment as a Devil? As always, thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...promise-dougie-hamilton-as-a-new-jersey-devil

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Bizarro Devils Tame Wild

And now for something completely different.

Where did that come from?

Consider the ways in which the Devils 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn., was some kind of funhouse mirror reflection of the horrors of the past month and a half.

The Devils beat a better team. The Wild started Monday tied with the Dallas Stars for the second-most points (61) in the NHL this season.

The Devils won a road game they had a pretty good excuse to lose. New Jersey was playing the second half of a back-to-back after a demoralizing 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets where twice they coughed up leads. Meanwhile, the Wild were well-rested, having last played at home on Saturday night.

The Devils scored first. New Jersey had given up the opening goal in 14 of it’s last 20 games.

The Devils scored on their first shot.

Dawg clocked in early. pic.twitter.com/3RP4mtvuZ9

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 13, 2026

The Devils scored a goal with less than 10 seconds to play in the second period after having been pinned in their own end for significant stretches during the middle frame.

Our Pal, there when we need him. pic.twitter.com/v9yZ2IZhWb

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 13, 2026

The Devils got two quick goals 21 seconds apart early in the third, showing the kind of killer instinct that’s been missing since late October.

Bratter up! pic.twitter.com/u6idjFRiv8

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 13, 2026

Goal on first shot, late goal, back-breaking goals in quick succession? Was the Swede in net for Minnesota Jacob Markstrom?

No, he was in goal for the Devils, stopping 20 of 22 and posting a save percentage 28 points better than his previous outing on the Island.

Because these were the Bizarro Devils, doing the exact opposite of everything they’d done since waking up the day after Black Friday and seemingly deciding to flush their season down the toilet and get their coach and general manager fired.

In the backwards Bizarro World Ondrej Palat scores goals. Two of them in fact. He hadn’t scored in 19 games. He hadn’t had two in the same game in almost two years.

Jesper Bratt, just three goals in his past 26 games and looking like he couldn’t find the blue paint with the help of a sherpa, scored two by crashing the net.

Even Dougie Hamilton, the Devils’ $9 million seventh defenseman, banished to the press box Saturday to await a trade, slotted back in after Simon Nemec’s Sunday meltdown, and had twice as many assists as he’d had since Black Friday.

“Me so happy. Me could cry.”

Up Next​

So of course they’re going to come home and lose to the Kraken right? With the Road Trip From Hell officially over, New Jersey hosts Seattle on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Prudential Center. Seattle is red hot. The Kraken are 7-1-2 in their last 10 and scored four unanswered Monday night to rally for a 4-2 win over the Rangers at the Garden.

Your Take​

So what did everyone think? Fool’s gold? A return to form? That was as strong a game as I can remember them playing in years. Maybe you have to go back as far back as 22-23. They weathered a little storm in the back half of the second but counter-punched hard, and never let up in the third. And they didn’t look miserable doing it either. You’d hope they’d learn something from this. Winning is fun, even if it’s hard work.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/devils-game-recaps/65529/bizarro-devils-tame-wild

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Shutout Edition

This week is highlighted by shutouts by goaltenders Mikhail Yegorov and Jakub Malek

Jacob Malek​

On Friday night, the Utica Comets shutout the Syracuse Crunch 3-0 on a 15 save effort by goaltender Jakub Malek, his first AHL shutout of his career. It was a strong defensive effort by the Comets, led offensively by goals from Angus Crookshank, Brian Halonen, and Xavier Parent. Prospects Seamus Casey, Topias Vilen, and Lenni Hameenaho also earned assists.

Here’s the celebration:

Love the absolute moxie from Utica Comets rookie net minder Jakub Málek in tipping down the net to celebrate his first North American/AHL shutout.

beauty. pic.twitter.com/8l92CfqMaF

— Ben Birnell (@BB_URSentinel) January 10, 2026

Mikhail Yegorov​

Not to be outdone, Boston University netminder Mikhail Yegorov stopped all eighteen shots he faced against UMass on Friday for a 1-0 win and his first collegiate shutout of the season. The performance improved Yegorov’s record to 10-8-1 for the struggling Terriers.

Around the Pool:​

• Winger Shane LaChance has been hot lately and while 11 points in 29 games doesn’t seem like much, LaChance has shown great improvement from the early season.

Who expected Shane Lachance to sho0t from the point and score?
Paul Rudd Not Me Dot Gif

Comets within 3-2

Some nice work by TB74 pic.twitter.com/OaaoDvGCMP

— Ben Birnell (@BB_URSentinel) January 10, 2026

• Also hot, Lenni Hameenaho was one of the AHL’s three stars Wednesday night for a two goal effort. Hameenaho has been a nearly point per game player after the first ten games of the season.

Lenni Hameenaho cooking these days for Utica #NJDevils https://t.co/pcMQPMwNNf

— Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_NJD) January 3, 2026

• Lastly, this post is a little old, but it highlights some of winger David Rozsival’s work this season. Rozsival has been blistering hot as of late and now leads all Devils prospects in points and goals across all leagues with 14 goals and 24 points.

#NJDevils draft pick David Rozsival has been quietly making a name for himself in his first season with the Gamblers.

The Czechia native has 10 goals in the last 10 games, and 8 in the last 7.@FloHockey | @USHL pic.twitter.com/eCKTjYsmuI

— Green Bay Gamblers (@GamblersHockey) December 7, 2025

Your Take​

Post your comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/u...jersey-devils-prospect-update-shutout-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #46: New Jersey Devils at Minnesota Wild

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (22-21-2) at Minnesota Wild (26-11-9)

The Time: 8:00pm ET

The Broadcast: MSGSN, Devils Radio Network

The Game Preview: Matt wrote the preview this morning.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...thread-46-new-jersey-devils-at-minnesota-wild

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #47: New Jersey Devils vs. Seattle Kraken

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (23-21-2) versus the Seattle Kraken (21-15-8)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: MSGSN, Devils Radio Network

The Game Preview: Matt wrote the preview this morning.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...thread-47-new-jersey-devils-vs-seattle-kraken

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Cryptid Cup stays in New Jersey

Cryptid Cup? Sure, we’ll keep that thing – whatever it is.

The game today almost felt a little secondary to the surprise press conference with Fitz, where he answered some pointed questions from local media about a wide variety of questions. The overarching message is they seem to be staying the course right now, no one is losing their job, and all the current players are the current players. It’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it works out. The Devils have 35 games left, and to get to a comfortable playoff spot, say 95 points, they need to play at a .642 clip or win basically 23 of those 35 games. Doable? Doesn’t seem like it, but crazier things have happened. With the lineup really fully healthy as intended for the first time all season with Kovacevic back in the mix, I do have that faint glimmer of hope.

The other drama surrounding the Devils is our seemingly new rotation at right D. Dougie showed out in Minnesota after his night off, Nemec got his night off and looked great tonight, and now after a back to back the newly activated Kovacevic got his night off but was his sturdy self in his return. Word from insiders is that Dougie is still on the block, but based on the presser today maybe that is walked back? Who knows – anyway, embarrassing all around.

So about the game tonight!

Generally low event defensive hockey for most of it, with the good guys pulling it out in OT. Nico led the way with 2 goals, while Jack and Luke both registered 2 assists on his goals. We need our stars to show up and put up numbers, and they have the past two games.

1st Period​

The first was generally a boring slog fest, as both teams were committed to clogging the neutral zone, and keep the offense to the perimeter. Cody Glass got us on the board, off a clean face-off win back to Dougie. Loved Cody’s effort spinning off the D perfectly for the rebound, and we are up 1-0 early.

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Old Pal Adam Larson ties it up (obviously) on a mess of a play, where McCann fanned on it coming in and had all day to drop it to Larson, who beat Markstrom on a clean writer from distance. Would’ve loved a better back check here, and/or Markstrom to stop that since it’s a clean look. If I was a gambling man (wait, I am!), hammering former Devils goals against us is free money.

Literally nothing happened in the 1st after this, with shots ending 5-4, and chances tied at 3.

2nd Period​

At 3:33 of the 2nd, Nico got the Powerplay on the board, off a bit of a broken zone entry. Frankly I thought he was hurt at first as he got buried by Tolvanen by the right point, but as Luke hit Jack streaking in, he found Nico who let a bomb go. The replay looks like it caught a bit of Lindgren’s shinpad – we take those – and we are up 2-1.

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The Kraken struck back almost immediately at 5:06 on the Powerplay after Glass went off for a high stick. Glendening got smoked on the draw that went back to Vince Dunn, who ripped it through Glendening’s legs from the point. Markstrom kicks out an atrocious rebound (literally couldn’t have placed it better for McCann) who made no mistake. It was somewhat amusing to watch Sal during intermission as he tried to Zapruder a deflection off Glendening.

I did like the end of their 2nd period – they got a little frisky with some good Ozone time. Luke did some good work down low and had a good effort trying trying a deke with Grubauer swimming, Jack hit the post, Dougie missed a baseball chance, but as it goes with the Devils, nothing fell and we got to the room 2-2. One of their better periods as they far out chanced the Kraken 11-7. But chances aren’t goals.

3rd Period​

Seattle seemed to drop into a 1-2-2 trap in the 3rd, clogging up the neutral zone and the Devils had a brutal time getting through int he first 5 or so minutes. The tide turned about halfway through and they put together some really good shifts. Mercer and Timo got decent chances up front while Dougie, Dillon and Nemec had some open looks form the back. But, stop me if you’ve heard this one, we couldn’t get the 3rd and off to OT we go.

Overtime​

The scariest moment against was on a rough shift from Timo. He fumbled the puck along the boards and he had to desperately squeeze off the post with Markstrom seemingly going for a pretzel.

Just as I was wondering to myself, I wonder why Grits doesn’t seem to get into the regular OT rotation, there he was blowing through the neutral zone, split a couple D and got a good shot off that Grubauer squeezed.

And out Captain BURIES THE WINNER! Big stop from Marky that Luke calmly collected, found Jack who hit a streaking Nico. He seemed to fool Grubauer by pulling the shot down and going backhand short side – slick move Captain.

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Some Scatterd Thoughts​

Jack looked a little shaky with the puck. Kinda funny because he still had 2 points. I know he wants nothing more than to play in the Olympics, but if we pull out of this malaise I really would prefer for him to be there in name only. Bring JRob instead.

Dougie has been electric since his press box tour, this is the guy we want and need. I have no problem if they have a little 4 RD rotation, even Pesce could probably use a breather.

They’ve made some Powerplay changes, trying the 2-unit thing, and it doesn’t seem to be working very well. If the Dougie benching woke him up (3 assists in 2 games), maybe try putting him back on unit one with the regular first group.

Moneypuck says they only gave up 1.2 xGA at 5v5 (and 2.85 all situations) which are stellar numbers defensively. They only gave up 2.07 at 5v5 to Minnesota also – Keep this up and I just might start believing again, but unless they do this for a good 10-15 game stretch I am still skeptical. Their inconsistency is the only thing consistent about them.

This 4th line is terrible, they just wind up in the D-zone for the entirety of their ice, and it all starts with Glendening. Really need to at minimum find a new solution there. He is breaking charts, in really bad ways (that’s him, off the chart to the left). It drags down anyone who plays with him. He also lost the face-off on the Kraken’s second goal, and Faceoffs are his one redeeming quality.

Luke Glendening has also broken the sG chart in a way I have never seen since sG became a thing a few seasons ago. pic.twitter.com/2Rv053NrrP

— All About the Jersey (@AATJerseyBlog) January 10, 2026

That’s it gang, big W! Are we back? Are we skeptical?

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/devils-game-recaps/65602/cryptid-cup-stays-in-new-jersey

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Saving the 2025-26 New Jersey Devils Season

I know the New Jersey Devils most recent stretch has led to a lot of doom and gloom, both here and in other Devils-centric circles around the internet. It’s merited when you consider the expectations for the team versus the results so far. At the same time, I understand the voices that are tired of the amount of negativity; it’s a lot and it’s frustrating when all we want is for there to be an exciting on ice product and a management team that is competent enough to get to that point.

All that aside, all hope should not be lost quite yet. Yes, two wins in a row is nothing to be excited about, but the Devils are still just four points out of a playoff spot. Maybe they would have to jump five other teams to get in that spot, but stranger things have happened in NHL history. What’s stopping this group from getting their heads together? What’s stopping them from going on a few more win streaks to get in front of teams above them?

Well, depending upon how much stock you put into recent reporting, there could be quite a bit in the way. Namely, a fractured locker room and some hurt feelings. Additionally, it could depend on how accurate you feel the reports about the team trying to trade Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat are. The latter point is out of the hands of the players: management is going to do whatever they can that they believe will help the team, and that requires the cooperation of other franchises as well.

The former point above, however, is not out of their hands; the Devils players all are playing not only for money and contracts but also for the chance to lift the Stanley Cup. That should be the ultimate goal for everyone in that locker room right now. Everyone in there is also an adult of varying ages: it’s time to stop caring about hurt feelings, or the business side of hockey, which again, is out of their control. Quash the arguments (if they’re real and/or haven’t already) get back on the same page, and start playing the brand of hockey that allowed this group to tick off eight in a row earlier this season even with suspect goaltending!

Maybe you feel this Devils team isn’t good enough, and there’s evidence to support that. At the same time, there’s enough talent that the group shouldn’t be as bad as they were for the past month or so. There’s more than enough fight in this set of players that they shouldn’t be getting embarrassed 9-0. The core players for the most part are in their prime years; they should be getting back to what made them so electric in seasons where they saw more success. Yes, systems and other small pieces might be out of their control, but that’s not an excuse for not maximizing their play to their level of talent on a nightly basis.

I’m also sure there are some voices out there that would rather see the Devils maximize their draft pick position. While the Devils haven’t drafted poorly per se in recent memory, it’s not like they’ve built a juggernaut through the draft either. And if some of the aforementioned trades do go through, there may have to be some draft compensation attached to balance out the deal. Between that and how rough it was watching (and writing about) this team in the mid/late-2010s, I’m done rooting for better draft position. I want Jack Hughes to start being Jack Hughes again and dominating games. I want Jesper Bratt to keep tallying more and more points. I want Nico Hischier to keep playing clutch hockey just like he did last night. Heck, it’s almost time for March Meier Madness again, and a player like Timo heating up could also push this team higher in the standings.

There’s roughly three months (and an Olympic break) left in this NHL season, and while things may not look good, I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet. You can count me in the voices that were negative the last few weeks; heck, when a team is losing, it’s a lot easier to discuss that. But I still believe there’s a chance this group of player can pull themselves together. I still believe a couple of small moves, maybe a properly timed call-up from Utica, and a couple of good strings of strong play can get this team back to the dance. And as it is always said it sports, once you make the playoffs, anything can happen from there.

The 2025-26 season can be saved. Mismanagement be damned, the New Jersey Devils players just have to want it enough.

What are your thoughts on the team attempting to salvage their current season; are things too far gone? Do you believe the players can be the catalyst to turning things around? Are you worried that if the team does find a way to succeed, it saves the jobs of certain underperforming non-player personnel? Are there smaller moves you’d like to see made that you think could help the team to be more successful overall? Leave any and all comments down below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...7/saving-the-2025-26-new-jersey-devils-season

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The Devils Are a Directionless, Dysfunctional Mess

A few weeks ago, I posed the question of what the Devils could do to shake things up.

I laid out all the options, from firing the GM and/or the coach, to making a trade, to calling up a prospect from Utica to healthy scratching a veteran player.

Despite this, there were no changes of note after Luke Hughes allowed two own goals against Carolina. No changes of note after a demoralizing 9-0 loss to the Islanders that felt like a “that’s gotta be it, someone’s getting fired for this” type of loss. It took a 4-1 loss to the Penguins where the Devils felt perfectly comfortable finding their, for lack of a better term, “scapegoat” in Dougie Hamilton and announced he would be a healthy scratch.

Hamilton’s benching was something I literally pointed out as an option in the article I linked above, so I’m not going to turn around and all of a sudden scream “Do something…..no, NOT LIKE THAT.” If anything, the Devils should go further when it comes to scratching underperforming veterans who have restrictive no-trade clauses and do the same with Ondrej Palat, regardless of the fact that he scored twice in Minnesota. One good game doesn’t erase a poor body of work overall.

To be clear, I have no issue with their initial decision to scratch Hamilton. I don’t care what his advanced stats say. He’s being paid $9M AAV to produce points. Prior to the Minnesota game, he had 10 points in 40 games this season. That’s not nearly good enough. Add in the fact that if you actually watch the games instead of just looking at charts, Hamilton looked like a guy who was content going through the motions, perhaps because of all of the trade speculation going on in the background. Benching the highest paid player on your roster, given this context, made sense. Especially if your goal was to try to send a message to the rest of the room by handling a respected veteran in this manner.

Keep in mind, the Devils tried, and failed, to trade Hamilton over the summer (which was something that I said they should consider doing). The Sharks were reportedly interested. Hamilton was not, as he exercised his no-trade clause, as is his right to do so.

The Devils tried, and failed, to trade Hamilton at some point this season when the Quinn Hughes situation came to a head in Vancouver. They were unable to move him as he used his no-trade protection once again, and Quinn Hughes ultimately went to Minnesota.

Whether or not you agreed with the decision to bench Hamilton, the Devils were at least acknowledging that there was indeed a problem and that they had to do something. This is actually a huge deal considering Fitzgerald’s history of sitting on his hands until they go numb, which is something he’s done in each of the last two seasons. The Devils ‘plan’ of doing nothing, predictably, didn’t work. Much like it didn’t work two years ago when that season spiraled out of control. Much like it didn’t work last year when the team struggled from the Christmas break on. In that respect, kudos to the Devils for taking the first step to saying “this team has issues”.

Unless they change their minds, of course. Which the Devils did, because they’re a directionless organization.

They’re the only team out of the 32 in the NHL that could screw up a “statement” benching.

Only the Devils would create a circus and draw unwanted attention to themselves by benching their highest-paid player ONLY to then turn around and re-insert Hamilton into the lineup after ONE Game and bench Simon Nemec after the GM of the team said he was “easily our best defenseman” 48 hours earlier. Congratulations, you annoyed multiple players in the process.

Only Tom Fitzgerald, who is quick to go on a media tour and be a guest on every radio show in Canada when things are going well with the Devils but goes into hiding when the team is struggling and fans are begging for answers, would rush to get the Devils side of the story out there through Pierre LeBrun once Hamilton’s agent J.P. Barry airs the dirty laundry.

Hamilton literally hadn’t even sat a game yet and the Devils already started backtracking and doing damage control on their decision. While one could argue that Nemec’s benching was warranted after the Winnipeg game, let’s be real……the team made this decision prior to taking the ice in Winnipeg. Nemec could’ve played a perfect game and scored the game winning goal and it wouldn’t have mattered. Whether it was Fitzgerald and/or Keefe who finally made a big boy decision to change something that clearly wasn’t working almost doesn’t matter. With the Devils immediately going back on it, the team showed no backbone and no conviction in their process. They showed there’s no teeth or substance to a supposed benching with the player literally drawing back in the very next night. And that’s before one starts playing the “what about” game with other players who have had their struggles but have yet to have ice time cut or be scratched.

Are they now going to bench Hamilton again after one of his better games of the season? Keefe already said that Nemec is going back in, so who is it for? Will it be for Johnathan Kovacevic or Brett Pesce after Fitzgerald went to bat for them as well? Or will the Devils walk that back as well?

This is clown show stuff from the Devils organization. There’s no other way to frame it.

I don’t know if they’re kowtowing to pressure from Hamilton’s agent (who ironically represents both Hamilton and Nemec) or there’s some sort of internal disconnect between the GM and the coach, but this is a mess regardless.

It’s Not Just Fitzgerald Who Is Directionless​

Much like Ned Flanders’ parents, the Devils have tried nothing and they’re all out of ideas.

It’s the same thing the Devils do every year when Fitzgerald sits on his hands and doesn’t do anything to help a floundering team, and it’s the same thing that continues to not work when they do it. Nor have the Devils done anything on a larger scale.

They haven’t fired Fitzgerald, despite a body of work where such a firing would be justified, like say, the Buffalo Sabres did. On a related note, the Sabres are 10-2 since dismissing Kevyn Adams.

They haven’t fired Sheldon Keefe, which, I don’t even know how much that would even have an impact with the roster the Devils built. Keefe might not be able to squeeze blood from a stone, but I fail to see how he’s maximizing what the Devils currently have either. Columbus fired their coach earlier this week and while its too early to say how that will play out (they are 1-0 under Rick Bowness), at least they’re trying to do something to salvage their season, which is more than one can say about Fitzgerald for the third year in a row.

They haven’t even so much as fired an assistant coach like the Toronto Maple Leafs did when they fired Marc Savard. One might scoff at the impact firing an assistant coach may have, but it goes noted that Toronto is 8-0-2 since they made that change. And it’s not like the Devils haven’t had an abject failure of an assistant coach on staff for years where a change there has been long overdue.

I’m not saying the Devils would all of a sudden go on some magical run where once they fire Fitzgerald, or fire Keefe, or fire Dave Rogalski, or make some sort of trade, that would be the catalyst we can all point to as the kick in the pants this team needed.

I will say that you won’t know if you don’t try it. I will say that you are needlessly throwing away another season for no good reason because of your steadfast refusal to do anything of substance until it’s too late.

Call it patience. Call it stubbornness. Call it arrogance. Call it whatever you want. But when this level of underachievement has been going on for three years now at this point, is it actually underachievement or is this who these Devils are? This is a hockey team begging for change in how they operate, except there’s a clear refusal from ownership to the front office to do anything other than the bare minimum and pay their fans lip service, if they’re even willing to do that. Trust the process, courtesy of the owners of an NBA team that has won precisely zero championships adopting that mantra.

To make matters worse, it doesn’t sound like the Devils are inclined to do much of anything to fix the problem. Aside from the aforementioned half-hearted benching of Hamilton that they’ve already walked back.

Elliotte Friedman dove into the Devils situation on his 32 Thoughts podcast and a few things stuck out to me in particular. First, Friedman noting that the expectation is that the Devils will wait for the season to end before they take an internal look at Fitzgerald’s job status.

Sure thing, Devils ownership. Keep doing nothing. That’s been working out so well. Let’s let Fitzgerald continue to dig the hole deeper. What could possibly go wrong? What more do you possibly need to see to know where this is heading?

The second thing that stuck out to me was Friedman pointing out that “up to this point”, Ondrej Palat has not been asked to waive his NTC.

This tells me one of three things. All of them are bad.

It suggests that Palat is that bad of a hockey player where he literally has zero market, and the Devils haven’t gotten calls on him. I don’t know how accurate that is seeing as he’s on The Athletic’s Trade Board and Palat seemingly has a skillset that a playoff contender would want, just not at $6M AAV.

It tells me the Devils have gotten some degree of interest, but things haven’t gotten close enough to where Fitzgerald has approached Palat about waiving (which, if someone else actually is willing to trade for Palat, Fitzgerald should be rushing to get him an Uber to the airport before that team changes their mind).

Or it tells me that Fitzgerald thinks Palat is part of the solution (or is really stubborn about not giving up on his hand-picked signing) and isn’t shopping him, which might be the correct answer as Fitzgerald’s track record of “do nothing” would seemingly check out.

Nothing screams that I should have confidence in this team and the direction they’re heading in like a general manager who is hesitant to admit he made a mistake on one of his biggest free agent signings.

We’re all human. We all make mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with changing your mind or your opinion on something once you are presented with new information. The problem is that being stubborn and essentially doubling down on what was a bad decision ultimately makes things worse. It’s ok to admit that Palat isn’t the same player he was in 2022 when they signed him, and certainly not the same player he was when he was winning championships in Tampa Bay. That should not be the hill one is willing to die on.

I’m sure if there are any Fitzgerald defenders left, they’ll point out to me in the comments that actually, Fitzgerald has “tried” to do something. He “tried” to get a goalie a few years ago, you see, but trading is hard. You can’t MAKE others trade with you. He “tried” to get Quinn Hughes, so he recognizes the team needs more high end skill. He’s “trying” to make deals now, and has been for awhile, and probably would’ve done so if it were for that tricky thing known as the salary cap.

Perhaps. But again….do or do not. There is no try. It’s his job to figure it out, not just to try to figure it out. And if you have so little flexibility where you can’t do anything because you’re over the cap and you can’t move out the trade clauses you passed out like condoms at Olympic village, we’re now talking about the “We’re all trying to find the guy that did this” meme. Fitzgerald is the guy who put the Devils in this position in the first place, but now I have to hear about how difficult his job actually is when he’s proven incapable of cleaning up the mess he made? Spare me this nonsense.

You don’t get credit for trying. You either fix the issue and win games, or you don’t and you lose games. If the GM and coach are incapable of doing that, it’s on ownership to step in and find people who will. The Devils refusal to do anything in season to fix it and just going through the motions is another example of the organization being directionless.

The Noesen and MacEwen Injuries Provided An Easy Out For Fitzgerald​

One of the biggest lingering stories throughout the season has been how were the Devils planning on becoming cap compliant once Johnathan Kovacevic was deemed healthy enough to play and ready to come off of LTIR?

Fitzgerald mentioned in his press conference back in training camp that the team indeed had a plan when the time came to become compliant.

Was that plan to hope somebody, in this case Stefan Noesen and Zach MacEwen, suffer season ending injuries and just moving the money around?

I’m not questioning the validity of the injuries of any of the players involved here. Noesen had been mostly ineffective since his return from groin surgery so a lingering knee injury that required surgery seems plausible. MacEwen has hardly played this year. Hopefully they both have speedy recoveries.

But what would the plan have been had these players been healthy and deemed good enough to play?

Would the plan have been a Dougie Hamilton trade that the team has been unable to make to this point? Would the plan have been an aforementioned Ondrej Palat trade that team might not even be willing to make in the first place? Would it have been something else like making Noesen or Dawson Mercer or someone else a sacrificial lamb to create enough space?

Conversely, could Kovacevic have returned a few weeks earlier when he’s been skating and practicing with the team for some time now? Could Kovacevic have been helping you win some of the games that you’ve been dropping because of how mismanaged the salary cap has been?

We’ll never find out, of course.

Maybe their plan actually was the old Lou Lamoriello adage “If you have time, you use it”, and they figured someone would get injured enough where they could simply plug and play when the time came. Maybe the Devils are better off they didn’t have to make a pure cap dump trade and can now kick this issue to the offseason when they’ll have an easier time cleaning up their books.

But that’s a very “fly by the seat of your pants” approach to managing, and it would appear that Fitzgerald got bailed out due to circumstances here, rather than actually being forced to do something and make a tough decision.

Final Thoughts​

Let’s put the win in Minnesota aside for a moment. The Devils have looked lifeless and lethargic for a large enough sample size this season where declaring they’re back after a good win on the road is a fool’s errand. Especially when nobody should trust this Devils team not to no-show tonight against another bad team coming to their building in the Seattle Kraken. I need to see a lot more good hockey from this team over a period of time before I start to forget just how bad they’ve looked.

What would you have said the direction of the Devils should be heading into the season? For me, the answer to that question would be that this is a team that should comfortably be a playoff team and maybe be a Stanley Cup contender if things broke right. It’s not that they didn’t have questions that needed to be answered, but given the financial commitments made to the roster, the state of the league, and the state of the Devils roster, that seemed like a reasonable goal.

The Devils could still get there, as they’re a hot week or two away from getting back into a playoff spot. Not that there’s any reason for me to believe in them given their recent body of work, but the roster is as healthy as it’s going to be the rest of the way and this is a team that has already shown this season they can string together several good weeks of hockey. There’s a reason that I wrote a few weeks ago I was cautiously optimistic about this group, even if they ultimately prove that I’m a big, dumb idiot for believing in them.

The problem is that they’re a team that, until they benched and un-benched Hamilton, has refused to try anything of substance to change their trajectory. Doing nothing and hoping the problem fixes itself isn’t a plan, and when this is happening for the third year in a row, someone needs to attempt to put their thumb on the scale to get this team heading in the right direction. Whether that’s ownership, the GM, the coach, or the players themselves, somebody needs to step up and say this is not acceptable and it’s not going to continue to happen. And then they need to go out there and SHOW it’s not acceptable because it’s not enough to just say it.

If you are indeed a ‘win now’ team and you’re “all in”, be all in. Figure out a way to clean up the cap mess you created like other teams do all the time. And if you have to ruffle feathers along the way like you did with the Hamilton benching, be a man and own it. Own your mistakes instead of tucking your tail between your legs when his agent throws a hissy fit. Acknowledge that what you have been doing isn’t working instead of ignoring the problem like you have a tendency of doing. It might not work, but at least there’s a clear, defined direction of what this team is trying to do. At least if they’re going down, they’re going down swinging.

Conversely, if you’re not “all in”…..I think that’s tough to accept as a fan of this team, but fine. It very well might not be our year. Retool this on the fly. Gauge the market, clean up the books the best you can (tough to do with all of the trade restrictions in place), pick up some extra draft capital and/or prospects, and regroup this summer when you have more flexibility to pivot.

Either way, the Devils need to pick a lane.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ing-the-problem-fixes-itself-has-failed-again