The New Jersey Devils and managing partner David Blitzer announced Monday afternoon that the team and general manager Tom Fitzgerald have agreed to part ways. Fitzgerald had been on the proverbial hot seat since the beginning of this 2025-26 season.
NHL News and the Devils Moving On From GM Tom Fitzgerald
On Monday, the New Jersey Devils announced the dismissal of Tom Fitzgerald from his duties as general manager and president of hockey operations.
“Tom and I had a thoughtful conversation today and agreed it was time to move in a new direction,” Blitzer said.
Fitzgerald was named the interim GM in January 2020, when the Devils parted ways with the late Ray Shero. The interim tag was removed months later, with Fitzgerald taking over in July 2020. He has been with the organization since 2015.
Credit Image: © Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire
Fitzgerald’s tenure with the Devils started off well. He was given the keys to a franchise with star players like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt. Early in Fitzgerald’s tenure, he made New Jersey a place players wanted to come. In the 2021 offseason, he acquired Dougie Hamilton as a free agent.
He also made a few trades that worked out fairly well for the Devils as well. He notably traded for Timo Meier at the 2023 deadline for two prospects, two draft picks, and a bad contract. In the following offseason, he got Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames for Yegor Sharangovich. These moves were steps in the right direction for a franchise that had not found success in the decade prior.
Fitzgerald has a say in bringing in Lindy Ruff as head coach. They together helped lead the Devils to a franchise-best 52-22-8 record in 2022-23 and win their only playoff round since reaching the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.
Signing Ondrej Palat after missing out on Johnny Gaudreau and missing on many draft picks has been the defining features on Fitzgerald. It always seemed the Devils wanted to win every trade they made, whether or not it made the team better.
The writing on was on the wall after the Minnesota Wild won the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes. The Devils were ready to bring him to New Jersey to be with his brothers, but the cap-strained roster would not allow it.
Despite this, the Devils are in danger of missing the playoffs yet again, something they have done in every year but two since Fitzgerald took over. He has hampered the current roster with difficult contracts. He has handed out no movement clauses like they were candy. For most of the season, he has been silent. While some of his decisions have worked out well for New Jersey, it was the bad ones that have heavily handicapped his successor.
What This Means for the Devils
New Jersey is 40-34-3 and sits seven points clear of the playoffs heading into the final week. It is clear New Jersey is looking toward the future. Kate Madigan will most likely take over duties in the interim as the assistant GM, but the team has yet to confirm who will make decisions while they look for a replacement.
The next GM will have a tall task ahead. The Devils have difficult contracts on their hands including Jacob Markstrom and Dougie Hamilton. Nico Hischier will be in the final year of his contract. Will the new GM resign the captain, or will they decide to take the team in a new direction? How will this affect contract negotiations with Simon Nemec? The young defencemen will need a new deal for next season.
Regardless of the next hire, the Devils proved that they are ready for a change moving forward. Today, the New Jersey Devils admitted they needed a new direction.
Main Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
