The New Jersey Devils season ended in Game 5 of Round 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After getting his number one goalie, Devils President Tom Fitzgerald felt his team needed to add size last off-season.
Devils Rumors: Tom Fitzgerald Looking To Add Depth Scoring Again This Off-Season
Nobody could foresee injuries coming, especially to their top players. However, the Devils made a mistake not getting a goal scorer before the deadline or even last offseason after trading Tyler Toffoli to the Winnipeg Jets before he signed with the San Jose Sharks. It was clear as the season progressed that the New Jersey Devils needed a top-six goal scorer to help out Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes.
While depth scoring is essential all season and into the playoffs, the Devils relied on Hischier, Hughes (before he got hurt), Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier to score goals once Stefan Noesen, Paul Cotter, and the rest of the bottom six stopped scoring. But relying on four guys to win games does not work. The New Jersey Devils needed more.
During an appearance on the Pucks in 7 Podcast with Ryan Paton and Victoria Matiash, the question of what the Devils needed this off-season was raised. Once again, getting the goal scorer has to be a top priority, despite the reports about getting depth scoring. In addition, the Devils will have to make a tough decision about Dawson Mercer.
The DevilsNation.com Transcriptions
Goal Scoring Still An Issue for the New Jersey Devils
Ryan Paton: “So we’re kind of giving them the post-mortem on this team. But I think a lot of people would do this right now. I don’t see Carolina losing three games in a row to the Devils. I don’t see the Devils winning the three (And the Devils fell in Game 5, 5-4 in Double OT).
So with that being said, looking at the off-season quickly here Jim and I was pulling up the cap space for the Devils, they have a bunch of guys up front, bunch of talented players as well. And if you look at the commit, I think they have $40 plus million committed for next season for forwards. They have over 20 and change, almost 28, I think for defensemen on the back end, and they have about five and change, almost something like that. If you were to look at the team and say, they do get knocked out in game five (which they did), any changes that you would think that you would need to do that you would try to do.”
Jim Biringer: “Yeah first would be start in the top six and get yourself a goal scorer and replace the production that you lost when you didn’t give Tyler Toffolo a new contract extension, when you lost 25 to 30 goals, guaranteed a season Look, regardless of age, regardless of length, whatever it was, no move clause, no trade clause, whatever it was, you had to get a goal scorer.
The offense just wasn’t there. Even though Tom Fitzgerald said, ‘Oh, we can score goals, we have offense.’ It’s just not there. It’s too inconsistent. Yeah, you can score five goals one night, but then the next night you’re getting shut out, or you’re scoring one goal. You’re not doing that consistently enough. And again, even with a healthy team, you were not doing that consistently enough.
NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils Looking to Add Scoring and Defense
So you need to find depth down the middle. You’re gonna have to make tough decisions on players that you’ve drafted and that you’ve brought along, that you think were part of your future, to maybe get that goal scorer. I’m looking at Dawson Mercer as that guy.”
Victoria Matiash: I thought that was the name you were gonna bring up.”
Biringer: “Yup, that’s the guy. Like you’re making $4 million a season, right? You and I don’t want to say held out for more, but you held out a little longer than most people thought you were going to hold out and ask for $4 million and you probably should have gotten three and a half, maybe a little less than that for what your production has been as a player.
Yeah, that’s a player that you may have to move on from. And I know teams have been calling about him.”
Again, it will be another busy off-season for Tom Fitzgerald and the New Jersey Devils as they look to put the right formula for success and cover up a weakness that needed to be addressed last year.
