Breaking down the New Jersey Devils' three best off-season moves

Tom Fitzgerald made a lot of changes this summer. Which ones were the best?

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey with our writers and subscribers.

---

By David Mudrak (@MuddyOpinions)

New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald continued his pattern of being very busy in the offseason. Over the break, he has made a number of splashy moves, including trades, free-agent signings, and staff changes.

Today, I provide my highly subjective ranking of the Devils' most important off-season moves now that everything is mostly accounted for. 

#1) Hiring Sheldon Keefe

Rather than go with the expected and say that the trade from Jacob Markstrom was the most important move for the team, I am going to suggest that the new coach is even more important.

Sheldon Keefe, scooped up right after he was let go from the Toronto Maple Leafs, enters his second coaching position with an excellent .665 winning percentage in regular-season games. Over his five seasons coaching the Maple Leafs, Keefe has done exceptionally well in the regular season. 

Obviously, there are always going to be concerns with the playoff record, which was noticeably lower at .432, but we all know that is simply a result of him being stuck with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has nothing to do with his coaching. 

All joking aside, his playoff performance has boiled down to a series of game seven dice rolls that he often came up short in. I am not too worried about that when the Devils need to first consistently make it to the playoffs. 

Keefe’s winning percentage during his time in Toronto plays a major role in making this the most important move, but even more so is Keefe’s ability to get more out of young forwards and the simple need for a reset that a coaching change can provide. 

Nylander was entering his fifth season when Keefe was hired. While he had not played poorly up to that point, putting up two 61-point seasons, Nylander was able to take another step under Keefe after spending a couple of seasons under his guidance.

In his third season with Keefe, Nylander posted a career-high of 80 points and has broken that each season since, finishing with 98 this past season. Keefe was able to take an inconsistent and, at times, frustrating player and help him become one of the best wingers in the league. 

A similar, although not as drastic, situation occurred with Auston Matthews. Keefe was hired as he was entering his fourth season. Before Keefe, Matthews floated right around a point per game. Once Keefe arrived, Matthews put up well over a point per game, including 106- and 107-point seasons. Furthermore, Matthews has fully developed his defensive game, becoming a two-way force under Keefe’s guidance. 

The opportunity for Keefe to take the impressive young talent on the Devils and find another gear is beyond exciting. If he can find a way to help Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer take further steps, this team will very quickly enter a championship window and will be there for a number of years. 

The coaching change is also significant for its ability to provide a full reset for the team. Last year was an incredible disappointment and has the ability to hang over this group. By bringing in a new coach, the team can put last year behind them and turn the page into a new era. 

The Devils were also dragged down by upsetting news regarding sexual assault charges against two players on the team. While this does not specifically have an on-ice impact, I do feel that this had an impact on the locker room and the emotions around the team.

With Keefe coming in, it marks the start of a new chapter, and hopefully, the team can return to its confident and loose style of play. 

#2) Trading for Markstrom