Devils begin front office shake up, move on from Fitzgerald

The Devils parted ways with Fitzgerald on Monday, signaling a front office reshape is coming.

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The New Jersey Devils made a massive organizational change on Monday, moving on from President and GM Tom Fitzgerald after almost six years running the team.

Fitzgerald did some good things at the helm but a lot of his best work came while tearing things down rather than building them up, which is the harder task.

Whether it taking years to properly address the team’s goaltending, poor drafting, sitting idly too long while seasons slipped away, or overemphasizing players known for physicality and intangibles more than speed and skill, Fitzgerald struggled to build a team that could truly contend.

That is why the Devils will soon miss the playoffs for the fourth time in six years, and that is why a strong core group has only six playoff wins to its credit.

If not anything else, it became clear the Devils had an appetite to bring in another decision maker this off-season and take a load off of Fitzgerald’s plate.

Rather than accepting a demotion of sorts, the two sides opted to part ways.

The Devils have a clean slate for fresh hockey minds to come in, and Fitzgerald is free to pursue a similar opportunity elsewhere – likely with the Predators, where he already has strong ties.

What’s next?

The first order of business is to bring in a new President.

I think the Devils liked Fitzgerald’s ability to run an organization and manage up and down as much or more than his ability to build a quality hockey team.

They clearly valued that part of the job, and it undoubtedly played a part in why he was granted such a long leash.

I’d look for the Devils to bring in an experienced mind who can take on that responsibility while providing a guiding hand to the next GM when needed.

With regards to who that President may be, names like Brendan Shanahan and Mike Gillis would make a lot of sense.

Both have experience managing up in important roles for NHL organizations, and both worked for teams and front offices that were progressive and analytically inclined.

That’s an important factor as ownership very much values data-driven decision making and using all tools at hands to make educated decisions.

The Philadelphia 76ers have long been one of the NBA’s ring-leaders in terms of using analytics and the Washington Commanders have expanded their analytics staffs since Josh Harris and co. took over.

The Devils themselves have a sizeable analytics department. Even though the GM will be the ones working with them much more prodominantly, the Devils will surely want a President aligned in those values so everyone is pulling on the same rope.

As for GM candidates, there are no shortage of options.

Sunny Mehta has served as an AGM for Florida in recent years and ran the Devils’ analytics department for several seasons in the mid 2010s.

Jason Spezza is a highly thought of front office member and likely future GM who has worked closely with Kyle Dubas since retiring. Shanahan knows him well from his time with the Maple Leafs, making him a natural candidate if Shanahan gets the President job.

We’ll get a better idea of who will take the GM job once the team hires a President and starts charting its path forward.

Given some of the names available, and the organization’s values, I’m optimistic about the hires that are coming.

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