The New Jersey Devils’ GM, Tom Fitzgerald, really nailed it with his off-season to-do list. The team has made some big upgrades, especially in goal and on defense, since last season. With these improvements, they have a real shot at making a playoff run this year. Even though Fitzgerald is feeling good about the changes on the roster, at the end of the day, what matters is how they perform on the ice. But hey, it’s still okay to give them a grade based on their moves on paper.
Staying with the offseason, Devils Nation will be grading Tom Fitzgerald on his offseason and whether those areas were truly improved. In Part 1 of the Series, we looked at Goaltending. Here, in Part 2, we will grade the improvements in defense.
Grading the New Jersey Devils Offseason
Defense Grade: A
Tom Fitzgerald knew his defense struggled last year. Due to Dougie Hamilton‘s injury, Simon Nemec played more games than he was supposed to last year. Like goaltending, Fitzgerald did not improve the position until near the deadline. The Devils had the cap space to do it but were uncertain about Dougie Hamilton’s injury length.
Most expected Hamilton to be put on LTIR once he had the surgery. The Devils were hoping for Hamilton’s return down the season’s stretch. However, that did not happen.
Now here is the thing when do Devils put Hamilton on LTIR. Because this is a 4-6 month recovery for a torn pec. That opens up $9 million. Devils up against. Needed Calgary to retain on Zadorov does this open things up for Hanifin & Tanev w/ no retention #njdevils (1/2)
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) December 1, 2023
New Jersey could have added players like Chris Tanev or Nikita Zadorov but did not. Instead, the Devils rolled out the same defense night after night.
New Jersey Devils Getting Heavier and Meaner on Day 1 of Free Agency
While Nemec played fine at the National Level, Tom Fitzgerald wanted him to play just nine games and not burn his ELC. However, there was no turning back once Nemec showed what he had. In addition, there was a change on the defense with no Ryan Graves and Damon Severson, two mainstays on the backend.
New Jersey lost those veterans to help the kids along, especially Severson, whom the Devils took for granted. The same goes for Graves, who brought that physical presence to the roster. Luke Hughes took on a more significant role, and so did Jonas Siegenthaler and John Marino. Throw in Brendan Smith and Colin Miller, and it was not the same defense the Devils had in the 22-23 season.
With the way the Devils were so poor defensively, Fitzgerald knew upgrades were needed. Fitzgerald traded Marino to Utah to open up cap space and make a run at several big-name free agents. His defense needed to get bigger and meaner. Enter Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Nick DeSimone, and Johnathan Kovacevic.
Now, he has veterans to play with Hughes and Nemec. Pesce understands what it takes to play stronger defensive zone hockey. Dillon is just a big body who is not afraid to be physical. DeSimone and Kovacevic add depth to the roster. But the big key is that the defense is over six feet and 200 pounds.
Nobody will get pushed around anymore.
New Jersey can execute its transition game again while protecting its new goaltender, Jacob Markstrom. The Devils’ defense will be more complex to play against.
While Tom Fitzgerald does not believe the NHL is a copycat league, look what he has done with the Devils’ defense. It has been completely revamped to resemble teams that have previously won the Stanley Cup.
Grading the New Jersey Devils Offseason: Part 1 – Goaltending
Defence was another need for the Devils, and Tom Fitzgerald had to address it. They did so and thus received a letter grade of A for the defensive improvements.
Stay Tuned for Part 3 of the New Jersey Devils Offseason Grades.
