Tom Fitzgerald Wants to Make Some Big Moves This Offseason…Can He Get it Done?

Tom Fitzgerald Wants to Make Some Big Moves This Offseason…Can He Get it Done?

Frank sarelli recently revealed that Tom fitgerald wants to go big game hunting is that plausible and who’s on the chopping block we have a lot to break down in today’s episode lock on Devils buckle up everybody you’re locked on Devils your daily podcast on the New Jersey Devils part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hi this is Bryce Salvador and you’re locked on devilray Matthew oh Steven stepped up nailed got the what a shot the Devils win the Stanley Cup all righty now what is up New Jersey welcome back to lockon those podast here lockon Network I’m your host College hockey pl Play announcer Del for Puck pitchforks and also parttime credential Mia member Trey Matthews we got some new insight regarding Tom fisherald and his off Seas plans courtesy of Daniel amoya of the hockey Riders he put this out on X and said on daily Faceoff live Frank selli said a general manager messaged me yesterday and said that the New Jersey Devils are looking for a top six forward a bottom six Ford a top four defenseman a bottom four defenseman and a goalie a large off season wish list indeed and that was put out on social media on June 14th and that sort of changes the landscape of silly season for the Devils the last few weeks that’s all I’ve been talking about certain trade scenarios free agent scenarios that the Devils could possibly explore I talked about the improbability of Brady kachuck being dealt to New Jersey I talked about Patrick l wanting a fresh start one of the major topics I’ve been discussing is Jacob markstrom and what his situation is looking like in Calgary and I even entertained why not reunite with a former Devils player some names I brought to mind were Stephan n that’s the name I would look at the most Adam Henrik but that seems more like a fan service and Tomas Shar sometimes you can’t really repeat the pass but Tatar was pretty solid on the line with heer once again so that way I don’t get any slack I said reunite with one of those players not all three that’s an impossibility and not likely to happen all right a few weeks ago I actually did speak with Tom Fitzgerald shortly after the Sheldon Keef introductory press conference and I asked Fitzgerald what is his offseason plans looking like and he gave a pretty vague response he just said baby steps for the time being and keep in mind Frank selli was basically saying that he got this information from another GM we don’t know what the offseason mindset is like for Fitzgerald but I I think we can all make an educated guess that the Devils definitely need a shakeup and they need better goal tending they need more depth defensively and offensively but this Insight information from selli kind of changes things in more ways than one because during my Silly Season discussions I’ve been talking about some players that are safe and players that might be on the hot seat and when you go down the list of Devil’s players their trade options are looking more and more scarce who are you willing to sacrifice in order to get a big name player because similar to what amoya said in his tweet a top six forward that’s GNA cost you a top four defenseman that’s G to cost you and a goalie that’s definitely going to cost you and keep in mind that fero could be eying free agency not all this has to come via a trade but in order to get some of those options you are going to have to break the bank in terms of paying the player or trading for the player so it’s pretty much pick your poison and just to keep you honest just because Fitzgerald is asking for those types of players doesn’t mean he’s going to get it he might get one or two or he might not get any of them that’s just worst case scenario but I do think Fitzgerald has a few tricks up his sleeve and similar to what I just alluded to I’ve been going down the list of players that might be on the hot seat for Devils but really the only name that came to mind was Alexander Holtz it doesn’t seem like the franchise is really that big on him it seems like despite being a solid goal contributor Holtz has a tendency to make boneheaded moves defensively and also Puck handling wise which makes it easy for him to be benched and not really be given the ice time that he might deserve because when he’s in UDA he’s like a point per game player but when he’s in the NHL he’s pretty much just a filler and if he makes a mistake or two you can best believe that his ice time is going to go down that was really the only name that came to mind but since that information is now out there that kind of changes a lot of things so in this segment I’ll focus on the forward then in the second segment we’ll look at some defensemen and possibly some prospects that might come to mind and then in the third and final segment something that I’ve actually been enjoying doing on this show the last few days is talking about the Stanley Cup Final aside from being Devil’s fans I’m sure a lot of you are just hockey fans in general I’m no exception and I’ve been enjoying talking about the Stanley Cup Final on this show and hearing some of your guys’ response in the comment section if you’re watching on YouTube but we’ll get to that to close out Today’s Show let’s look at some Fords that could be on the the hot SE for devils and keep in mind I’m just changing my opinion in terms of like what the Devils might try to do if they want to get those topnotch assets all right so when we look at the core teim o Meer Jack Hughes jesser brat Nico heer I think it’s safe to say that none of them will be brought up in trade scenarios Teo Meyer he has a no movement Clause that will kick in on July 1 same with jper brat niik heser has a modified no trade clause but he’s the captain of this team you don’t really see teams trade away their Captain too often fun fact for you Jack Hughes does not have a no movement clause for the time being he has a modified node trade clause that won’t kick in until the 2026 2027 season theoretically the Devils could trade away Jack Hughes but we all know that is not going to happen but I found that a little interesting when I was doing uh some more research and when looking at some other options here’s a name that I brought up in one of my more recent episodes and that is Andre palot a lot of people want Andre poot gone and I understand why he’s anywhere from solid To Mediocre and he does step up his game come playoff time but he’s not worth a cap hit of $6 million for the next three seasons let’s be real and I’m sure if his contract was like split in half I don’t think too many people would complain and I said like if you want Andre poot gone it’s going to be a headache and a half Andre palot most likely will leave New Jersey when Andre pilot wants to leave New Jersey but here’s the thing if it’s Jerald is really big game hunting could he include Andre Pat in a trade circumstance you would be limited because he has to sign off on that and I think the only way in which Andre pilot would wave his no movement Clause is if he’s traded to a playoff caliber team that’s the only way I see it because he’s not going to wave his no movement Clause to be dealt to Calgary and the Devils get Jacob markstrom that’s not going to happen I I I think Andre palott wants to be with a winner because that’s what he’s been accustomed to his whole career he has two Stanley Cups as a result Eric Holla he has two years remaining on his contract this might surprise a lot of people but Eric kala he too also has a no trade clause could you move Eric I mean theoretically I guess you could but he would have to sign off on that and Eric holl his entire career with the exception of this past season he has only missed the playoffs one time and that was due to injury when he was on the Vegas gold Knights during the 201829 season that Vegas gold Knights team still made the playoffs that might be a little difficult Alexander Holtz I already touched on him I think he’s on borrow time if the devils are serious about getting a top-notch player I think the inevitable is that Alexander Holtz will be included in trade packages because that’s really the only Ford you can trade that can give you something in return and you have all the power because he has one year remaining on his entrylevel contract Nolan foot he’s a pending RFA I don’t think you’ll get much for him Dawson Mercer I guess that’s another name you could entertain but it’s like would the Devils be serious about trading away Dawson Mercer and who would you get for Dawson Mercer that’s my question would you be willing to trade away Dawson Mercer and for what price that’s my big question for you and I and last of all would be Nathan Bastion right now Bastion has one year remaining on his contract but in order to trade away Nathan Bastion and get someone serviceable you’re gonna have to include Nathan Bastion in a trade package of some sorts because Bastion oneone is not GNA get you anything and I talked about this last summer despite having a sizable role on the devil’s roster and being somewhat useful in their historic season Nathan Bastion didn’t really stick out in any particular category and that’s quite compelling he was a good partner alongside Michael mlau but we already know how that situation is panning out so when it comes to Fords I don’t really know know who you would include in a trade package you could also include Kurtis Lazar but would you want to trade away Kurtis Lazar you talk about physicality being a weakness for the Devils would would you be willing to do that csar has one year remaining on his deal he has a cap hit of 1 million again like there aren’t that many options to choose from unless you can get Andre pilot to wave his no movement clause or even Eric kala if if you really have a player that you can’t refuse or or you’re serious about trading away Dawson Mercer I don’t really know who you include in trade packages even then I don’t want to trade away Dawson Mercer I don’t want to trade away Eric Holla I think both of them are useful on the devil’s roster I think the two players that a majority of people could agree on and say we’re okay with trading away this player is Andre pilot Alexander Holtz and maybe just maybe Nathan Bashan I don’t really know I’m I’m a little I’m a little perplexed by this I I don’t know what fits would do in this case but the defense could be a little interesting and we’ll talk about that momentarily but before we continue let me tell you about policy genius policy genius helps you easily compare your options from America’s Top insurers in just a few clicks their award-winning agents can even walk you through the process step by step your work life insurance policy may not offer enough protection for your family’s needs even worse it may not come with you if you leave your job policy genius has no incentive to recommend one insurer over another so you can trust their guidance they have thousands of five-star reviews on Google and trust pilot from customers who found the best fit for their needs get Peace of Mind by finding the right life insurance with policy genius head to policygenius.com or click the link in the description to free up life insurance quotes and see how much you could save that’s policy genius.com okay we focused on the Fords now let’s look at the defenseman I’ve been saying the last few weeks that I don’t think Tom fero should include any defenseman in trade packages for example if you trade away a defenseman for Jacob markstrom yes you might be upgrading your goal tending tandem in Jake Allen and Jacob markstrom but the problem is you’re hurting your depth in terms of defenseman and as we all know if you have a weak defense it doesn’t matter if you have strong goal tending because that can only carry you so far I said that the Devils need to keep their inventory and add more to it so that way it’s a little stronger but considering the fact that Tom fisherald is supposedly looking for a top four defenseman something tells me that he might include one of the defensemen to get an upgrade who is that going to be well we know that’s not going to be douge Hamilton Hamilton has a cap hit of $9 million for the next four seasons and he has a no movement Clause douge Hamilton similar to a lot of other players on the Devils roster will leave New Jersey when he wants to leave New Jersey people have been saying what about John Marino or Jonas Sean thaler but Marino and Sean thaler both have modified no trade Clauses that kick in on July 1st meaning that they submitted a list of teams that they don’t want to be traded to and that sort of limits your options Kevin ball he could be an option he has one year remaining on his contract and he has a cap hit of about $1 million that could be an option Curtis mcder he recently signed a new contract I don’t think he’s getting moved Luke Hughes and shimo Nemitz I don’t think Tom fitgerald is going to trade away his young defenseman who have shown tremendous promise this season that doesn’t make sense and then you got players like Brendan Smith and Nick D Simone entering unrestricted free agency all right I’m a little confused supposedly and I can’t emphasize this enough supposedly Tom feral wants to get a top six forward a bottom six forward a top four defenseman a bottom four defenseman and a goal but the issue is you have two defenseman that have modified no trade Clauses you have two other defensemen that are still on their entry level contracts and you’re going to have to sign them to a lengthy extension because if you’re not going to do it trust me there’s going to be a bunch of other teams that would want shimo nemit or Luke Hughes on their roster and then when it comes to Fords teimo Meyer Jack Hughes Jer brat Nico heer are you gonna trade away one of your core pieces once again that’s easier said than done with the exception of Jack Hughes all of them have either a no movement clause or a modified no trade clause and then for Andre plot no movement Clause Eric Holla no trade clause Kur Lazar he’s not going to get you much Alexander Holtz and Nathan Bastion you’re going to have to include him in some sort of package deal are you g to look at free agency but then again how do you clear up that money money doesn’t just grow on trees and you have to resign Dawson Mercer as well I’m a little confused and I I don’t know what Fitzgerald has in mind I do anticipate for him to make a move but it’s going to be way easier said than done and that’s what’s concerning me a little bit I I I just want I know that something might be in the works but if if I said it once I said it a thousand times it’s not going to be easy and that raised the question how are you going to clear up that cap space in order to get those said players essentially you’re clearing house and here’s another concern I have the devils are still a very good team the problem is they were just hit with the injury bug and you just have to make a few adjustments you just have to find someone cheap in the market and there you go you got a bottom six player or when it comes to defenseman I’m sure there’s a lot of physical defenseman that might be available in the market you could resign them cheap and then when it comes to a goalie I think that’s where you’re going to have to sacrifice some of your precious assets and then for def if you’re looking for a top four defenseman or a top six forward I don’t know what you’re going to get I mean you already had like Tyler toley and that didn’t really work out all that well toley was good from a statistical standpoint but once he left Dawson Mercer and teimo Meer they saw their production go up a little bit more remember too many cooks in the kitchen so that’s my thing which is like when it comes to a defenseman here’s what you need to replace you need to find a player that’s similar to either Damon Severson Colin Miller or Ryan grayes players that won’t make a huge impact when it comes to goals assists whatever the case might be but they’ll make the smart plays in order to shape shift the defense remember Damon Severson usually a two-way defenseman took a bit of a backseat in his final year with the Devils was a bottom four defenseman and he had a really good impact on the roster from an Advanced Analytical standpoint that’s my thing I’m not trying to be a Debbie down or anything I’m just a little confused as to what direction is Tom fer trying to take this in because he doesn’t need to clear house here he just needs to make a few adjustments get a goalie get some more depth defensively get a bottom six4 to replace miles wood and Michael McLoud and you should be good to go because this Devils team they’re not bad they just unfortunately got hit with the injury bug and they were never all that consistent and you got a good head coach in Sheldon Keefe now that’s my mindset and when we look at Prospect the the well is kind of running a little dry Who you gonna trade away Graham Clark Shane Bowers Akira Schmid Nico Daws Brian henin Max Wilman Cent haa Lenny hamino Sheamus Casey now a valuable asset that Tom feral does have and I said it in a prior episode that I think this certain asset is very underrated it’s that 10th overall pick and I know the Stanley Cup Final is still going on but don’t look now the draft is only like a week and a half away can Fitzgerald stir up something that quick to try to package together a deal I said it in Prior episodes that a one for one type of deal for that 10th overall pick it might not get you the asset you want you got to include it in some sort of package deal the Devils do own their first round draft pick next year as well and they do have a few other draft picks outside of the 10th overall pick but obviously the more touted one is going to be that first round draft pick at 10th overall let’s just be realistic that’s something that can also come into play if f sherald is serious about getting a topnotch player but once again the assets might be running a little low for Tom fisherald and Company based on all the prior moves that they’ve already done just some food for thought all right I’ve been talking about it on the show the last few days but I’ve been rather entertained with the Stanley Cup Final and the Emon Oilers finally got into the win column I believe that’s their first Stanley Cup win since 2006 when they took on the Carolina Hurricanes man that’s that’s a long time I think I was in what kindergarten or first grade when 2006 was around just if you’re wondering how old I am but before we continue let me tell you about FanDuel because maybe you can make some extra money summertime means baseball the NBA finals and Stanley Cup Final and much more and you can bet it all on FanDuel right now new customers get $200 in bonus Bets with any winning $ five bet that’s 200 bucks you can use to bet on everything from finals MVP to who you think is going to hit one out of the park visit fanduel.com lockon and add a big win to your summertime bucket list FanDuel America’s number one Sportsbook visit fanduel.com and remember to gamble responsibly all right game four of the Stanley Cup Final saw an obliteration but instead of the Florida Panthers clinching the cup in Edington and Sasha barov hoisting up the Stanley Cup and getting the handshake from Gary bman the Oilers absolutely thrashed the Panthers by a score of 8 to one so they doubled their goal output compared to the first two games in game one they got shut out game two they lost four to three and it was just an entertaining game and I’m glad that Emington uh got to win a game in front of their home fans that’s why I was saying Panthers and six because I wasn’t really feeling a sweep and they’re kind of following the same script as the NBA Finals because the Celtics went up 3-0 against Luca and the Mavs and then they finally squeaked out a win in front of their home fans in Dallas and now at the time is recording uh it is just a few minutes away from tip off we’ll see how that goes and maybe that could be a Telltale sign as to how game five is going to pan out in Florida but digressing a little bit Conor McDavid surpassed Wayne Gretzky for assist during a playoff run and we’re going to talk about this with Alexander oetkin when that time comes maybe next season or the year after when he surpasses Wayne Gretzky’s record for most goals all time whenever you can surpass Wayne Gretzky in anything that is amazing and Adam Henrik he joined in the fun he got a goal in that game and then Darnell nurse the cousin of Sarah nurse and also the brother of Kia nurse because the WNBA is right now in full swing he had a big imp that game as well and a lot of people are wondering can the Oilers overcome the three deficit I’m going to say no yes Sergey babski he was human in that game and he actually did get uh subbed out but I I think the Panthers would much rather win in front of their home fans and the same could be said for the Celtics if I had the choice of winning a championship in front of my home fans I would take that any day of the week it’s gonna be very hard for the Oilers to win three straight against this Panthers unit and I don’t care about the statistics because I think people were saying like the last time the Oilers will lost what like three in a row they ended up going on a 16 game winning streak or something like that they they went on a winning streak of some sorts but I don’t think it’s going to happen in the playoffs because you’re playing the same team you’re not playing a different team that’s the thing the Oilers and and Conor McDavid he deserves Stanley Cup but he’s going to have to wait I think the Panthers are going to close this out in game five later tonight when this episode goes live that is my opinion and you could take that bet to FanDuel I’d say Panthers and five originally I said six but I feel like the Panthers are going to brush off this defeat and they’re going to skip the BS and Paul Maurice and Company they’re going to close it out in Florida and the racks are going to rain down heavily once game five concludes I am guaranteeing a win for the Panthers hopefully this does not come back to bite me but I am feeling it for some reason let me know what you guys think what do you think of Frank cell’s reporting on Tom fitgerald saying that he wants to go big game hunting for so and so type of players and who are you willing to sacrifice in a trade and let me know your thoughts on the Stanley Cup Final leave a comment down below if you’re watching on YouTube if you’re listening on podcast streaming service hit me up on my personal xay at trat 4 or the show’s xay app at lockon Devils as for’s episode that’s all the time I have for you continue to stay safe have a wonderful day in New Jersey go Devils I’ll catch you guys the next episode thanks for listening once again

Frank Seravelli recently reported that Tom Fitzgerald wants to shake things up this offseason. He has his eyes set on more offense (top-6 and bottom-6), defense (top-4 and bottom-4), and goaltending. That’s a pretty lengthy wishlist. It won’t be easy to make those moves work financially, but it’s still doable. This offseason might get interesting for the New Jersey Devils.

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