Devils fire GM Tom Fitzgerald after playoff miss
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- Tom Fitzgerald is out as Devils GM after co-owner David Blitzer said they 'agreed it was time to move in a new direction,' ending a tenure that began as assistant GM in 2015-16 and was rewarded with a multiyear extension and the title of president of hockey operations in 2024.
- The Devils entered Monday at 40-34-3, seven points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with five games left — still technically alive but effectively out after four separate four-game losing streaks defined their season.
- Fitzgerald's tenure peaked in 2022-23, when the Devils set a franchise record for points and advanced to the second round before losing to Carolina in five games, fueled by his trade for Timo Meier from San Jose.
- Jack Hughes publicly backed the outgoing GM: 'Fitzy built the team... I have a lot of love for Tommy Fitz. I'm sad to see him go,' while also conceding, 'I wish we could have done better for him.'
- Captain Nico Hischier is non-committal about signing an extension with one year left on his deal — a massive open question for Fitzgerald's successor, who will also inherit $12.18 million in projected salary cap space (per PuckPedia) and 12 players under contract with more than two years remaining.
- Fitzgerald cycled through three head coaches on his watch — moving on from Lindy Ruff, promoting Travis Green as interim, then hiring Sheldon Keefe from Toronto — with Keefe guiding an 8-1 start before Hughes's mid-November hand injury cost the star center 18 games.
Why it matters: Devals ownership is reversing course on Fitzgerald just one year after handing him a multiyear extension, and his replacement inherits a pivotal offseason: roughly $12.18 million in cap space and a deep young core, but a captain in Hischier who won't commit to staying — meaning the next GM must simultaneously retool the roster and convince the franchise's most important player that New Jersey is still a destination.
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