It was a busy summer for New Jersey Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald as he retooled his roster. He upgraded his goaltending with the addition of Jacob Markstrom. Then Fitzgerald worked on the defense, moving out John Marino, signing Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon, and trading for Jonathan Kovacevic. Fitzgerald also added depth in the forward position with Paul Cotter and Stefan Noesen to make his team tougher to play against.
Stefan Noesen Adding Valuable Net Front Presence for the Devils
However, there was an area he did not fully upgrade, and that was in the top six. While adding Tomas Tatar was a nice depth addition for the Devils offensively, the team is still missing a pure goal scorer. They have not been able to replace Tyler Toffoli, whom the Devils traded last year at the trade deadline to the Winnipeg Jets. Toffoli later signed with the San Jose Sharks.
Fitzgerald always wants to add to his roster despite the Devils being first in the Metro Division. That has been his MO since taking over as general manager. Even if there is a position of strength, he will look to add to it. He also knows he must add a little scoring punch to the roster. Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Stefan Noesen, and Jesper Bratt are the only ones consistently scoring.
Devils Need Goal Scoring
Adding a pure goal scorer was an area of weakness the Devils should have addressed in the off-season, as mentioned on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio with Mick Kern and Victoria Matiash on July 1. As he spoke with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Tom Fitzgerald wants to add depth to his roster.
Grading the New Jersey Devils Offseason: Part 3: Forwards
“You can’t have enough depth. I’ve been in touch with teams. … I’m looking for utility players, I guess — guys who can skate,” Fitzgerald said. “I like size and versatility and guys who can play in the middle and on the wing. Just to add depth to the organization.”
The question will be where the Devils turn for a goal scorer. Frank Vatrano of the Anaheim Ducks might be the best option, but he is off his pace of 37 goals from a year ago. He has a cheap cap hit at $3.65 million. However, the Ducks only have one retention slot left. Right now, the options are thin upfront until teams fall off. Unfortunately, a reunion with some of their former players might be out of the question as they might not fit what the general manager is looking for. The salary cap will also play a role in whomever they add to the team.
Remember, Fitzgerald hesitated to pay Toffoli that kind of money on extension because of the diminishing returns. There was a reason the Devils fell out of the Jonathan Marchessault race. The dollars and terms did not mesh. It is highly unlikely a reunion with Taylor Hall will happen. So Fitzgerald will be looking around to see if he can get someone who is on an expiring deal to come to play in New Jersey. You can see through the season’s first quarter that goal-scoring is still an issue for this team.
Devils Will Look To Add A Center
Like most teams, the Devils want to add a center. With Curtis Lazar out of the lineup and Nathan Bastian injured, the Devils depth on the third and fourth lines has been tested. Nathan Legare played well in his first NHL game against the Rangers, but the Devils need center help like the rest of the NHL.
As Fitzgerald told Jimmy Murphy of Sick Podcast Eye Test, it is hard to make a move when teams are unsure who or what they are this early into the season.
“Yeah, I would say it’s pretty much the same every year,” Fitzgerald said. “I think there are teams that know where they’re, at, and where they’re going to finish, and then you just have a bunch of teams that aren’t sure where really where they’re at.”
Devils News: Curtis Lazar Undergoes Successful Knee Procedure Out Indefinitely
There is a lot of parity in the NHL in the Metro Division, Eastern Conference, and throughout the whole league. Outside of maybe one or two teams, there are not too many sellers at this point. However, if the Devils were to look to add depth down the middle, maybe a player like Yanni Gourde of the Seattle Kraken could work.
Gourde has a $5.167 million cap hit, but later on in the season, it might not be as bad. Seattle might have to retain on that some to make it work as the Devils do not have cap space at the moment. The Devils could also look at Tommy Novak of the Nashville Predators.
Like any good general manager, Tom Fitzgerald knows his team well and will add when he feels the time is right. As of now, with the way the salary cap is and contracts, the most likely time for the Devils to add will be at the trade deadline. But the New Jersey Devils are looking to add to their roster for a long playoff run.
