Notes on quotes from New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald

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New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald recently took part in NHL.com’s weekly ‘five questions’ segment.

The whole piece is worth a read – Fitzgerald touched on several relevant topics – but I wanted to share my thoughts on a few of the excerpts. Again, I’d recommend checking out the article for full quotes.

On Jack Hughes and what to expect this season:

As far as production, he's going to have that opportunity once again to be a top forward on our team with ice time, especially on special teams and the power play. Nothing is just going to be handed to him; we've set up a development plan with him on situational play and how minutes grow. I want to see him out there at the end of a game, maybe playing left wing or as the second center on a defensive-zone face-off with 15 seconds and we're holding a 2-1 lead. That's what I envision and how we want to continue to grow his game, so it's giving him more opportunity to absorb in-game situations that he definitely didn't have last year."

Last season Jack Hughes ranked 7th among Devils forwards in total ice per game, and 9th in terms of 5v5 ice per game, so he’s definitely going to get a boost if he’ll be used as a ‘top forward’ on the team.

Hughes showed flashes as a rookie but I think a lack of strength was an issue at times and, from what I’ve heard and seen (there are some workout pictures floating around), Hughes has done his part to help mitigate that.

I like that the Devils plan on grooming Hughes’ defensive game as well. They aren’t just going to protect him and feed him easy minutes. They want him to grow defensively while the games aren’t as important, and expectations aren’t as high, as they’ll be in another year or two.

Hughes has room to grow in his own zone – for sure – but I think there’s potential. The Devils actually gave up shot attempts, and goals, at a lesser rate with Hughes on the ice than without.

With his closing speed, escape ability, and added strength, I think he could be develop into a competent defensive player. He has all the tools.

The thought of Hughes closing out a game at left wing, with Nico Hischier at center, is really exciting to me. I’d love to see it for years to come.

On the vacant captaincy

"I don't anticipate us naming a captain before the start of the season, to be honest. I don't think there's a rush…I think it's a huge responsibility and I don't want that 'C' to be heavy because I've seen that happen and I know that pressure. I don't want to do that to somebody right off the bat, so there's no rush.

Maybe I’m reading between the lines too much here, or seeing what I want to see, but this strikes me as the kind of quote we’d get if a certain somebody from Switzerland was likely to get the ‘C’. Hear me out.

Outside of Nico, the names I’ve most seen brought up for the captaincy are Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac.

Palmieri is 29, has appeared in ~600 NHL games (playoffs included), and he is entering 6th season – time flies! – in New Jersey.

Zajac is 35, has appeared in well over 1,000 NHL games (playoffs included), and is entering his 15th season in the league.

Both of them have ample experience as assistant captains, too. Do we think either of them would need to be prepared, or protected, to wear the ‘C’? I don’t think so!

I think the organization knows it is going to be Nico but they want to make the move at the right time, and they want Lindy Ruff to see first-hand just how ready this kid is before making the decision.

Call me crazy, but I’d be *very* surprised if anybody but Nico is the next captain.

On what the Devils are looking for in the upcoming draft (particularly up top)

We're not singling out a winger, a defenseman, a center ... you want the best prospect possible. Who can hit their upside and their ceiling the quickest? They all have high ceilings, and that's the crazy thing.

First and foremost, it is nice to see Fitzgerald publicly take a stance on the BPA train. I get needs can be tough to ignore but drafting for needs, rather than upside, is how you end up passing on a 1st line center for a No. 4 defenseman. No thanks!

If we’re talking about who can hit their upside and ceiling the quickest, a certain Austrian stands out to me.

Rossi is extremely skilled, smart, and driven (check out my lengthy breakdown of his game if you haven’t already). He’s also as NHL ready as it gets from somebody with a realistic chance of slipping outside the top-5.

If he is there at 7th overall, I’d be racing to the phone to call in the pick. He checks all the boxes.