The New Jersey Devils continue to struggle to score goals. Over the past four games, the Devils have been outscored 19-5. Those five goals have come from Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, Luke Hughes, and two goals from Cody Glass. New Jersey is dead last in the NHL in five-on-five scoring, and the offence that President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald thought was going to be there is not there.
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Not to mention, Fitzgerald disagreed that there were glaring holes on the team at his opening-season press conference.
“Well, it’s easy to say that that holes,” Fitzgerald told reporters. “I mean, that’s a pretty deep word there. Holes. I don’t know if we have that big of a hole up there. I think what we have is opportunity.”
But as DevilsNation.com has documented, the New Jersey Devils have a hole in their top six as they are missing a goal scorer. That vacancy has yet to be filled, as Fitzgerald did not re-sign Tyler Toffoli, whom he traded for from the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2023. And since scoring goals is such a hard task in the NHL, as Fitzgerald has stated. But not having that goal scorer is a problem during this stretch, where the Devils have now been outscored 16-2.
It is a major need that Fitzgerald never went after during the past two offseasons or even at last year’s trade deadline. But as TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Insider Trading on Thursday, confirming DevilsNation.com’s earlier reporting, the New Jersey Devils are going after a goal scorer. In addition, Fitzgerald’s job is secure.
James Duthie: “The Devils’ 9-0 loss to the Islanders a couple of nights ago, one of those moments or scores that can incite panic, anger or potentially change. What’s the latest from New Jersey?
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Darren Dreger: “Well, you’re right, I mean the New Jersey Devils are floundering. That’s plain and simple. And there are some in that market that are screaming for change. Both the general manager, Tom Fitzgerald, maybe the future of Sheldon Keefe as head coach are in question as well. But look, job security isn’t a primary concern for Fitzgerald. It just isn’t. I mean, he talks to ownership on a weekly basis. They know the path that the general manager is trying to take with this team.
But it’s also abundantly clear that some form of change has to come if they don’t turn this around immediately. And he is trying to shake things up, and shake things up in a significant way. He’s looking to add a forward. A top-six piece that can help them in the goal scoring department. The problem is as we all know that the market from a trade perspective is a little thin and quiet right now. But Fitzgerald is wanting to be aggressive.”
What Dreger failed to note is that the New Jersey Devils don’t have the cap space to add a goal scorer without moving other players out. The Devils are trying to move on from Dougie Hamilton, but there are issues because he refuses to waive his no-trade clause. Hamilton was scratched during the Devils 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. There are bitter feelings within the organization right now.
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In addition, 13 players have some form of no-trade protection, making tough decisions necessary. New Jersey lucked into adding Johnathan Kovacevic back to the lineup as Zack MacEwen is done for the season with ACL surgery. Plus, Stefan Noesen will be out for a while and could be done for the season after knee surgery.
Again, in order to get something, the Devils need to give up something. Not to mention, there is no 7/11 hockey store down the street to find a goal scorer. At some point, Tom Fitzgerald has to look at this roster and decide who is part of this group moving forward and who needs a change of scenery to get that goal scorer.
