New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald had a Press Conference this morning to discuss the NJ Devils Offseason moves.
I give my reactions and thoughts to what Fitz had to say in this video.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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40 Comments
Tatar is beyond washed up he couldn’t even hack it playing with McKinnon. I don’t blame him for not giving the extra years to Stamkos and marsh those contracts won’t age well just like palat. I wish he did get more creative signing high upside cheaper guys like nylander.
Get real bud. The Devils are 3-5 years away from a legit Cup shot. It’s a journey. Nice progress this off season but any young team needs to lose different ways in the playoffs before they can win deep into the playoffs. They will live and learn. How many seasons that takes is unknown but I’m going with above…….all while plenty of players come and go. That’s the rub when our core all started so young at the same time.
Today, the Devils are a bubble team. 3 teams in division are still better.
Also cam Atkinson got less money then Tatar he has more upside
Ace, love you, but I think you're being too negative here. 22-23 was great, but players performed out of their minds then 23-24 was a humbling wake up call that shed light on the glaring weaknesses, not to mention the injury bug that ravaged our team. As for the new moves: Coaching? Addressed. Goaltending? Addressed. Defense? Addressed. Bottom 6 depth? Addressed. Overall toughness and grit? Addressed. I'd argue we have 4 undisputed top 6 players (Nico, Bratt, Jack, Timo), 1 top 6 ceiling player (Mercer, when with higher skilled players), and 1 complimentary piece (Tatar) The lack of a top 6 addition sucks when looking at just this upcoming season, but if we need to pay Mercer, Luke, & Nemec then money needs to be free to make those contracts happen and the hyperfocus on Top 6 is only going to blind everyone to how much the team improved overall. As for Fitz' comments on needing to get there, I see no problem with that. After 22-23 everyone was planning the '24 cup parade, but then the unpredictable in the form of injuries and season long slumps happened, so the next logical move should be to get back into the dance. I think the Devils finish with 280+ goals for (yes, even without Toffoli), <245 goals against, and with 47-53 wins
I think he approach to saying one step at a time to start by making the playoffs is a safety net, I mean if he said we were going all the way this year and they fell short he would get roasted. Like with his comment on Heavier, bigger and more violent. A lot of us disagree that that statement describes this team right now and some of us while we agree the team is better it DOES NOT fit his description. He is playing it safe. Now do I feel they are going all the way this year? It could happen but I'm not sure that is how it will play out. But I think as they stand today this is the best Devils team we have seen in a while.
I think Fitz is really looking at the Florida model 2 really solid lines good d and goalie and a third line that can chip in. You don’t win cups out scoring everyone
He annoys me with his “I want to leave my handprints on this organization..” it’s annoying to me, because the actual phrase, is FINGERPRINTS, not handprints. Yes, maybe I am ridiculous, but it’s like nails on chalkboard to my ears. I’m looking forward to seeing the new look Devils, but I agree: we’re just not there yet. You better get to work on grabbing McGroarty, and make damn sure Gritsyuk makes his way over. I promise you, both Holtz, and Sharangovich will be star players in their new homes.
definitely agree with you on Fitz needing to upgrade his public speaking skills. he represents and reflects the franchise when he speaks, so he should take some care with his media presentation
I think the notion that this team lacks a top 6 forward is garbage. You said it yourself; we have a ton of talent and I personally believe that we made up for Toffoli's goals with the acquisitions of Dillon, Pesce, and Markstrom. We need more beef and although I think Tatar doesn't fit the bill for the top six forward that will fill the net, I think he is exactly what we need. The best lines in hockey don't consist of three snipers and playmakers, they consist of two highly skilled forwards with a guy that is willing to hustle everywhere and drive to the net like a Zach Hyman to McDavid.
The ceiling for this current roster is 1st round playoff exit. The forward group as a whole isn't nearly good enough.Let's stop pretending Tatar is worth anything. That was a nothing signing. Weak attempt to smooth over the fact that Fitz failed to get the top 6 guy we need. It's sad that some fans are actually eating it up.
I’m really happy with what we have done so far this offseason. What we lost in the top 6 I think we gained in the bottom 6. If injuries were to happen we’re much better position this year than last with depth. We do have room to get a top 6 guy at the deadline if needed. X factor this year is obviously going to be Mercer and I think he’s going to be able to put us over the top if he can produce the way, we know his capable of. New culture and identity is going to be established with this team with all the moves we made. They might not be the flashy guys but give Fitz credit for being in the running for the the flashy guys and he also didn’t give out any stupid contracts to one of them that will hang up extensions in the future with our young core coming up. Another big plus I think not many people are talking about is how the rest of the division outside of Washington and Columbus have either stayed the same or gotten worse during this FA period. I have not fully come around with Fitz just yet but I have to give credit when due and he did what he said he was going to do. With all the extra beef I think our stars will be playing with a lot more confidence and security this season knowing someone is going to pay immediately if someone comes for their head. I do believe if these guys can come together and Keefe establishes lines that work early on there’s no reason this team on paper can’t get to the cup this year. My prediction would be 103 points this season. As always thank you for all the content and giving us an amazing platform to vocalize amongst each other. You have been on fire lately Ace keep up the great work your blow up is about to happen very soon!!
I think devil fans are extremely picky when it comes to “top 6 forwards”. Almost every cup winning team has 4 legit stars with complimentary players. You say it’s less than ideal but it’s very common. Look at teams like Edmonton Vegas Colorado Tampa it’s all very similar forward makeup.
I can't believe the soft ball questions he got from the fan boy media we have. He still put his foot in his mouth and totally contradicted himself about the AHl. Tatar wasn't offered a contract last year by this moron, and now he's a top 6 contributor? Noesen is another useful player but he let him go also. Like I told you, he just crushed your Brady dream. He is incapable of making a blockbuster because he manages like he played, soft. He is controlled by the nerds, and he admitted it today when he talked about drafting Silayev. Go back and listen to his answer. For all the ball busting you do of Joestalgia, and its in good fun, he is 1000% correct about Fitzgerald and has been for some time. The problem with the current Devils fan base is you have a large percentage who haven't tasted championship success and are just happy with "making the playoffs " .
Seems the roster is pretty much set for now. We will see how things progress during the season and what happens at the deadline. Gristyuk could potentially join the team as well once his KHL season is over.
Markstrom & Allen > Vanecek & Schmid
Pesce & Dillon > Marino & Smith
Cotter, Tatar, & Noesen > Nosek, Tierney, & Bastian
Oh, and Keefe > Ruff
What are you even on about dude? Outside of not getting a stud winger…yet, Fitz has had a phenomenal offseason.
Unfortunately no Brady even though it was near impossible. We won’t get him at this point
I love your channel usually but the negativity over a really solid offseason is baffling to me. He got us a goalie and amazing D that make it so we don’t need 6 superstars up top to win and win a lot. How would you have addressed all of our needs and also grabbed a 40+ scorer while staying under the cap? The whole we need a another winger thing mattered when we had bums in net and soft D. It doesn’t matter as much now.
Apparently if you are a player agent, all you have to do is call Tom and he gets so excited that you called that he will sign your client. Palat's agent called and Tommy wet himself with excitement and signed him. Sounds like he can't believe people want to come play in Newark. 😂 You are correct, he needs to stop doing press conferences and hire a PR person. Love the principals office comparison 😀
I saw your video yesterday about Brady and it really made so much sense. We still have more than enough assets to make it happen. But after watching this presser, you start to realize this guy has nothing up his sleeve lol. Fitz talks like hes preparing for a Cup in 2030.
We can still trade for a top 6 forward. I think you’re focusing too much on the fire power in the top 6 instead of what a team that wins needs and that’s a full depth squad. I think we need to take tiffoli from last season as an example- yes, he did lead the team in goals but where did that get us? I think the panthers proved what a roster should look like and we’ve built ourselves towards that ideal. We 100% already have a roster to score 2+ goals on any given night and now we have the defense to keep the puck out of our net. We do have enough offense to win games. You also have to consider our blue line offense. Dougie, luke, and nemec all have a great two way game. That being said only thinking about top 6 fire power can hurt us if we arent careful with who we sign. We NEED to make the playoffs but to WIN in the playoffs we need a defensive group that protects Markstrom. Be happy we made the moves we made and understand that we can still make a move to trade for a top 6 guy before the deadline if we feel we can win it all this year
Our offense doesn't look nearly as awesome as it did this time last year when we still had Holtz and traded for Tyler Toffoli and I too am a bit disappointed we couldn't add a true top-six forward but there was only so much money to go around.
It's too bad we still don't have a true 3C following Mikey McLeod's leave of absence but we'll have to make do with what we have. We might lack some firepower but we should be a better, more balanced, well-rounded team.
Fitz said he was confident about this group but he said he was also confident heading into last season and that ended up backfiring on him horribly. Hopefully everybody in this organization learned a lesson after this past year.
The Meh-tro just isn't that strong so if we can stay relatively healthy and if our guys play to their capabilities, a 100-point season and a top-three finish in the division shouldn't be asking too much.
i am somewhat disappointed in free agency, just because we didnt get the top 6 guy, but i will say this… the way id play it is to grab a guy at or around the deadline that is a really good top 6 guy and have another team retain salary, given where the devils were at before free agency, id rather spend money in free agency on defense over offense, and this is what fitzy did, no this doesnt necessarily help us up front for game 1 or even game 41 of the season but we do have enough on this team to put ourselves into a playoff spot by the deadline, and thats what really matters as far as that is concerned. the big question is will he address that top 6 in the middle of the season? i personally have my doubts on that given what he said in the press conference but we will see. i will continue by saying this team is built for war, cotter alone if he was on the devils last season with as many hits as he got last season hed be the franchise record holder for most hits by a player in a single season, which right now is held by pickles, and then you get to the other big bodies we got that like to hit, and are also good at blocking shots, and containing other teams top players, and playing that grind'm up and spit'm out type of game, and then we get to the goalies which are substantially better than anything weve had in a very long time, whether anyone wants to admit it or not this team is built for war. the pieces are there for a really good season that i think everyone would call a success. but if i had to give a prediction of how the season will be, i can see this team being in a playoff spot all season long, as is. i dont know if i see us at #1 in the division but we will be up there. as long as keefe does his job and utlizes this team correctly.
New subscriber, i like your content and honesty. Been a Devil since inception into the league. I agree, i like Tatar but he just doesn't cut it IMO. Keep up the great content.
As for Luke's extension, both Power and Sanderson signed for over $8 million AAV and Brock Faber's camp could be looking for $9 million AAV from Minnesota, let's hope Fitz and his powers of persuasion can get him in at under $8 million per season.
Could anyone give me a quick rundown of how they see the lines being set up? Best guess at what they will be anyway. Please and thank you.
In any sport when you improve your defense it will help your offense. I think this will be a case of addition by subtraction. Excited to see what our defense can do this year.
I think on paper, our team is more similar to what we had two years ago than last year which hopefully means we’re going to achieve success more similar to two years ago as well. Agreed on the top six forward but I am optimistic about Tatar rekindling what he had with Hischier and Mercer especially. I’m not sure if we try the Timo and Jack pairing again if that’s the case but it hasn’t really worked for us. We needed a right handed volume shooter (what Holtz should be) for that last spot more than a fourth winger whose worked with Nico before, but maybe that will become more available later in summer via trade when teams like Washington has to unload $15 mill to get under cap
Also, I’m about 95% sure Fitz was listening to Alanis Morissette – Ironic on the ride to the presser.
So to recap. Fitz was wrong for saying that he was going "big game hunting" cause he was setting expectations too high for fans and if he couldn't sign any (out of his control) that's a failure. You said he shouldn't have said anything. But now when he's not guaranteeing playoffs and taking the conservative approach… that's a losing attitude and he shouldn't say that? What can he possibly say that would be okay ? lol
I think we will have a top 3rd and 4th line in the league. Obviously 1st line is gonna be close to top. 2nd line will be let’s say average. I’m not gonna complain of 3-4 lines are top tier we don’t need to have dominant everything no team does.
I think we will finish top 2 at worst 3 in the metro this year. Top 5 conference. At worst top 8 in the league. I like to be conservative with projections as well.
its all up the mercer can he take a step?? another concern i have is our best players (nico jack dougie) always seem to get injured so dawson will have to step up if that happens again
Hello,
Another great show!
A question and observation:
1. I am not sure what the Devils received for Triffoli, who was it?
2. It seems you run a moderate course toward the GM, between Joe and Fitgerald’s staunch supporters.
Also, Nothing against Markstrom, but with the strengthening of the D I would have liked to have rolled the dice with Daws.
Think your hatred for Fitz kinda ruins the content.
Good points. I’m sure we will do a lot of experimenting with lines. From seeing the last few years with the Devils and around the league- I think the Devils truly need speed and size on every line to be as effective as possible with their identity and create a balance throughout.
Hughes really struggles with the physicality- id be more comfortable with Cotter because of his speed plus the physicality over a smaller Tatar. He does have good hands as well, he could be a great powerforward line 2 guy, hopefully can make a home out front like a Hyman.
I like Bratt-Hischier-Meier as our every night line one. I also think Mercer needs to be top 6 to be as effective as possible (with Nico or Jack). I’d like us to run heavier minutes for our top 6, but third and fourth lines very reversible. I like MacDermid in the lineup, just to play a few shifts a night when needed, just to help set the tone. I think we will be better with him in lineup but basically rotate 5 bottom 6 guys for the most part, plugging MacDermid in when needed. We have the quality there to run a system like that. Two line 3’s vs a typical third and fourth line will make us harder to match up against.
Bratt-Hischier-Meier
Cotter-Hughes-Mercer
Palat-Lazar-Noesen
MacDermid-Haula-Tatar
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Hughes-Pesce
Dillon-Nemec
(Kovacevic-Foote-Bastian)
Love the balance of this and allowing our skill guys to have the insulation around them
We desperately need an entry level forward to come make an impact with taking up no cap
Some of us remember when the playoffs were a given, and the question was how far, not if we’d make them. Good news is more veterans, (hopefully) more leadership comes with that. Hope the boys upset expectations, and we clinch President’s Trophy and the Cup!
daniel sprong and tyler johnson both available why wouldnt fitz look at one of these guys i think johnson with all his experience from tampa days would be a great add
Are you actually a Devil fan?
Personally, I feel okayish with our attack. I hoped we would do a bit better on defense with some more physical players such as Zadorov. It didn't happen. It's okay. Pesce is a good addition, Dillon is a good addition. I know you, Ace, wanted Katchuk. I told you I don't see it happening. Not that I didn't want it to happen. I just thought it was not within what the team wanted to actually do. But overall, it is a better team. It is a playoff bound team. I personally give a good chance to get even to the finals if not many major injuries occur.