Head coach Sheldon Keefe of the New Jersey Devils (Photo by Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images)
New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald feels a lot like the character ‘Hannibal’ on the 1980s hit TV series ‘The A-Team’.
Hannibal’s most famous saying was, ‘I love it when a plan comes together’ and so far this season, Fitzgerald’s plan has come together almost perfectly. As the 2023-24 regular season wound down and the Devils missed the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Fitzgerald and his hockey operations staff had already identified the primary needs for their team to bounce back this season and make it back to the postseason.
“We’re competing for a playoff spot, but most importantly, we are playing the right way,” Fitzgerald said in an exclusive interview with RG. “We’re playing with good habits because we practice good habits, and we practice our details. We stress the small things in the game that are huge for winning.”
One of the biggest reasons Fitzgerald hired former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was to create good practice habits.
“Look, I don’t care what anyone says. This is a guy who has made the Stanley Cup playoffs in all five seasons and has been an NHL head coach,” Fitzgerald pointed out.
“We really loved the scouting reports and research we did on Sheldon, and he’s lived up to it and more. Hiring him and doing what we did in the offseason is paying off.”
The Devils were able to not only get off to a strong start on the season, they have been a completely different team through the first half of the 2024-25 season. Rather than tapping himself on the back, Fitzgerald believes his coaching staff has made a huge difference in the early portions of the season.
And it seems to be working so far, as the Devils sit 4th in the NHL standings with a 21-11-3 record as of Friday night. They look primed for a return to the post-season, but there is still much hockey to be played.
A Monster Offseason
Fitzgerald was sure to credit his hockey operations team that helped and played a role in executing the offseason plan. With their help, he was able to make some timely trades around the 2024 NHL Draft that have paid dividends for them so far this season.
“My leadership group with my assistant general managers Dan McKinnon and Kate Madigan, Al Santilli, my director player personnel, and my cap and CBA kid, Scott Litwack, were all crucial in us being able to acquire and sign the players we did,” Fitzgerald said. “We knew we were soft and needed to get tougher mentally and physically. We needed to be tougher to play against. If you think you’re getting through four rounds in the playoffs and don’t need toughness and strong will, you’re kidding yourself. So we went out and got guys that could help us become that type of team.”
And some major moves were made, in acquiring Jacob Markstrom from Calgary, Paul Cotter from Vegas and Johnathan Kovacevic from Montreal. On top of signing Brett Pesce as a free agent, they were able to add depth guys as well, like Brendan Dillon and Stefan Noesen.
Not only have these additions helped change the dynamic of the team on the ice, but it’s helped create a strong culture off the ice; with some of the stronger personalities rubbing off on the Devils’ existing core.
“The Brendan Dillons, Jonathan Kovacevics, the Paul Cotters, and the Stefan Noesens all came in and provided that physical element and mentality we needed. You can see it daily rubbing off on guys like Dougie [Hamilton] or Dawson [Mercer],” said Fitzgerald. “Even Jack Hughes has benefitted from having these guys around. He was already a winner, and he understands his role even more now and how important it is to embrace that every night. Everyone has come together, and it shows on the ice.”
James Murphy
