Frustration is starting to boil over amongst Recent Jersey Devils fans, and a recent loss only added fuel to the fireplace. After falling 2-1 to the Vancouver Canucks, the Devils once more found themselves facing season-dooming chatter.
The defeat also got here amid lingering disappointment surrounding Quinn Hughes, a superstar defenseman many Devils fans hoped would eventually land in Recent Jersey. The Devils were linked to Hughes almost immediately once speculation surfaced that the Vancouver Canucks captain is likely to be on the move.
While Hughes is not any longer in Vancouver, he also isn’t wearing a Devils sweater. As a substitute, the Minnesota Wild struck a blockbuster deal, sending Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick to the Canucks. It was a large return, one Recent Jersey realistically couldn’t match, particularly given Vancouver’s desire for a proven center.
Even when Hughes eventually desires to play in Recent Jersey, he stays under contract through the 2026-27 season, giving Minnesota potentially two playoff runs with an elite defenseman.
That reality has left Devils fans questioning whether the front office missed a chance, and whether general manager Tom Fitzgerald should face consequences. Nevertheless, in line with recent reports, those concerns aren’t shared internally.
“General manager Tom Fitzgerald has the “full support” of Devils owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer and his job isn’t in jeopardy, a team source told NJ Advance Media Monday.” the report by Ryan Novozinsky of NJ Advance Media offers reassurance that, for now, Fitzgerald’s position is secure.
It was NHL insider Elliotte Friedman who first scrapped the notion of any changes on the team’s top brass during his recent appearance on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast.
“Very first thing I’d prefer to say that some persons are wondering if Fitzgerald was in trouble, I do not believe that right away,” said Friedman on the podcast. “God only know what is going to occur in the long run. But if you happen to’re saying that Recent Jersey Devils are on the cusp of a GM change, No…I do not believe he’s in any trouble now. I just, I do not believe that is the case in any respect.”
Still, criticism persists, as Fitzgerald assembled the present roster, and a number of other past decisions now limit flexibility as a consequence of no-move and no-trade clauses.
Draft-day decisions loom especially large, as Minnesota’s package included Rossi and Buium, players once available when Recent Jersey made different selections. Without Hughes, the Devils are left patching holes, reflected in a rough stretch all while Jack Hughes recovers from injury.
Depth pieces bring energy, but goals have been scarce. While Fitzgerald isn’t on the new seat yet, nevertheless it would not be a ruled out possibility, if the team ultimately struggles to supply results.