Why, exactly, is Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald still running this year’s trade deadline?
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It was supposed to be a celebratory moment. During a pregame ceremony last Wednesday, public address announcer Adam Hamway tried to fire up the raucous Prudential Center crowd by naming all nine members of the Devils organization who participated in the 2026 Winter Olympics in some shape or form.
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When he got to a certain name, though, angry Devils fans couldn’t help but vent their frustrations.
“BOOOOOOOOO,” the fans roared as general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s name was announced.
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It’s hard to blame them. Fitzgerald, now in his sixth season as Devils GM, has shattered the confidence of Devils fans everywhere. He’s dished out the most no-move/no-trade clauses in the league — which has hamstrung his ability to fix the weak roster he built — and the moves he’s actually been able to pull off have been flops at best. The result? Two playoff appearances in five years and a 0.6% chance to make the dance this season.
It raises the question: Why is Fitzgerald still calling the shots ahead of this Friday’s trade deadline?
If the Devils organization still had standards, Fitzgerald (and coach Sheldon Keefe) would have been sent packing on Jan. 6, when the team lost 9-0 to the rival Islanders. During that game, goalie Jacob Markstrom — whom Fitzgerald curiously extended to a two-year, $12 million deal on Halloween — had one of the worst statistical goalie performances in NHL history. (That extension, by the way, hasn’t even kicked in yet.)
The brain behind that deal will be manning the phones for this lost Devils team on Friday.
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For starters, Fitzgerald is very much on the hot seat, so the risk of him making a desperate move to try and save his job is high. You might say, “ownership would never allow him to do that,” but let’s not forget: This is the same ownership group that signed off on the Markstrom deal when the 36-year-old goalie had a a 4.17 goals-against average and .875 save percentage.
Fitzgerald, who’s trying to patch the Titanic with duct tape and gum, is seemingly planting the seeds for the Devils being buyers. Last week, The Athletic reported that the Devils are still in the race for veteran forward Steven Stamkos, who would likely cost a pretty penny given the number of buyers on the market. The Devils are in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference. The last thing they need is to give up valuable future assets for a 36-year-old forward.
The other issue with Fitzgerald running the trade deadline is what it means for his long-term future. If ownership allows him to sell, they may be giving him a tacit vote of confidence with the promise that he’ll get another chance next season. A similar situation happened with the Bruins/GM Don Sweeney last season. Sure, ownership may just be keeping him for familiarity purposes, but we can only speculate because they have yet to speak publicly this season.
Bottom line: Unless Fitzgerald — who has ruined a once-promising young core — is fired before Friday at 3 p.m. ET, this trade deadline period is a worrisome one.
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