Devils stars and coach react to Tom Fitzgerald’s departure – Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

Yesterday, the New Jersey Devils announced that general manager (GM) Tom Fitzgerald will leave the organization after more than six years in this position. In this morning’s skate, most of the Devils’ key players spoke on the news in addition to head coach Sheldon Keefe.

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All-Stars and Keefe React to the News

By all accounts, Fitzgerald treated everyone around him with great respect and compassion. That was seen by the number of players who were willing to stay for a long time in previous seasons.

“I was very grateful for all these years Fitzy treated me well and I hope I am one of those. [leaders],” said forward Jesper Bratt. “Unfortunately, obviously I feel disappointed in myself and the way the whole team feels, because most of the time when this happens, it’s because the team doesn’t really do the way the GM has built the system, and unfortunately that falls on them. Obviously, we feel very responsible for that.”

There is no question that Jack Hughes has been the engine that drives the Devils bus. Since Feb. 28, his 34 points led the entire National Hockey League.

“At the end of the day, a lot – a lot – comes down to the players, right? We’re the ones walking the ice,” Jack said. “We are the ones who can change the outcome of a hockey game (…) I love Tommy Fitz very much. It’s very sad to see him go. I wish we could have done better for him.”

If Jack is the engine that drives the bus, Keefe is the bus driver. The head coach shared his blame: “It’s not a good feeling to get that call from Fitzy, first of all. And it’s not a good feeling today, frankly. I think everyone here, from the coaches to the players has a responsibility (…) For me, especially, basically, I believe that the coach’s job is to fulfill the vision of the (GM) and the people who put you in that difficult job by showing that we are committed to putting up with it, putting up with it and keeping it short. That.”

When the general manager is fired, there is a lot of uncertainty within the organization. There is no guarantee that the new GM will want to keep the head coach or other aspects of the organization and program.

Keefe later confirmed that uncertainty when he said that he will be part of the evaluation to determine his future with the team. “It is clear that there are decisions to be made about who is the new general manager [is] and what the leadership of the team looks like, and I will be a part of that discussion and analysis,” Keefe said. “Unfortunately, it’s not an uncommon position about the same thing. [I dealt with] in the offseason in Toronto … the focus 1775595125 he has been building our team and building our game. “

It is noteworthy that since Feb. 28, the Devils’ 3.78 goals per 60 minutes mark is the second best in the league, behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins. Even with Brett Pesce out for most of them, the Devils are 12-5-1 in that span. (via Natural Stat Trick)

Timo Meier signed the largest contract Fitzgerald has ever given a forward – an eight-year, $70.4 million contract extension through late June 2023. “He gave me a chance to come here, he sold me, and he signed me long,” Meier said. “It’s disappointing to see this…obviously it’s on us as players.”

Jack’s brother Luke Hughes was the latest (and last) big ticket extension from Fitzgerald in New Jersey; his seven-year, $63 million extension matched the largest average annual value (AAV) of any contract Fitzgerald had ever been issued.

“Fitzy brought us all together, the most important thing is that he is a good person, he treated me and my brother and the players in the locker room with respect,” said Luke. “It’s sad, it’s a difficult day for everyone, you know it’s part of the business [but] it’s just ridiculous.”

Fitzy welcomed me to Jersey and was always kind to me and my family. He is also largely responsible for raising the standards where years like this in New Jersey end up leading to these kinds of changes. Wish him the best wherever his hockey journey leads him. https://t.co/NxBcpUVigl

— Bill Spaulding (@BillSpaulding) April 6, 2026

Fitzgerald was part of the organization under captain Nico Hischier. “[I’m] “I’m very grateful for Fitzy, who made it possible for me and my career and my development,” said Hischier. [Shero] back to heritage. It’s always disappointing. You feel a part of it, too. He understands the business here, and we are the guys around him and he trusted him. We weren’t doing the way we should have done.”

That said, firing a GM is not a common occurrence for an underachieving team like the Devils have done in past seasons. Assuming they miss the playoffs this season, that would be 14 seasons with one playoff series win.

That’s clearly not good enough, which managing partner David Blitzer reiterated in the team’s press conference yesterday: “As we prepare to move forward, it’s important that I let our fans know. I can see that we didn’t perform as well as you expected and deserved and I understand and share in your frustration. This is a critical time for our franchise, and we will re-evaluate all Devil Cup channels to better compete for the Stanley Cup.”

With just five games remaining, the focus will quickly turn to the offseason and plans for the Devils’ future. It should be very interesting to see what happens.

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