Devils Looking to Get Back to the Playoffs in 2025 After a Disappointing Season

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[@Kev-O]

Attended my first home devils game this year, there was such a great energy in the building. Excited to get back there soon

[@Prime4867]

Bratt had only 27 goals, therefore 83 points.

[@snfriedm]

Damn so he sucks.

[@Prime4867]

@@snfriedm still over a point per game…never said he sucked

[@OWlsfordshire]

I hope they get back on track. The east have really made a clown show out of their conference this year. About 5 teams threw away free playoff spots and then you have the Boston/Toronto chokeoff.

[@GoodMenstruationAttitude]

Don't forget about Arseni Gritsyuk. Good winger prospect in the KHL.

[@CrueHead18]

They overachieved last season in my opinion. But I didn't think they would be this bad and miss the playoffs this season.

[@obtusedan]

They really did everything they could to not make the playoffs down the stretch

[@LouieNJ]

​@@obtusedanWhile the teams ahead of them gave them every chance to take it if they wanted. The door was open and the Devils shut it.

[@GreyGeneral]

They looked like the Buffalo Sabres last year, all offense, with no defense or goalie. Hopefully they don't do what the Sabres did and giveaway all the offense to try and learn defense and end up in no mans land.

[@christhornycroft3686]

The Devils losing Jack Hughes for 15 games definitely had an effect. It would be like the Canucks losing his brother Quinn for an extended period. They're suck impactful players that losing them for any length of time would be devastating to their team, and you can't just assume that when they get back and "healthy" that they're going to pick things up where they left off.

[@FHL-Devils]

Devils with Ruff, lottery team. Devils with Brunette, one of the best teams in the league. Letting Brunette go to Nashville (where he's a Jack Adams nominee) was the single biggest mistake this decade.

[@peteg2715]

Ruff & Hakstol were Jack Adams finalists last yr. Things change quickly

[@kradz5172]

In hindsight letting Brunette go was a bad move. That being said there was absolutely no way they could fire Ruff after the season the team had in 22/23.

[@FHL-Devils]

@@peteg2715 - Ruff was only the Adams candidate because Brunette was the Ass't coach. Look at Ruff the year before (lottery team) and the year after (lottery team). He 'success-by-association'd himself into the nomination.

[@FHL-Devils]

@@kradz5172 - Deep fans of the team knew how it worked. And Ruff didn't need to be fired... you move him into an 'Assistant to the President' or 'GM Advisory' role and bring Brunette on as HC. It looks like both guys got a promotion after a successful season, when in reality, you're hiding the weak link in the attic until some sucker takes him off your hands Buffalo . There was a way to come out with a win-win scenario, and Fitz made it lose-lose.

[@kradz5172]

@@FHL-Devils but what if Ruff didn't want to stop coaching? Clearly he still wants to considering he's now the HC of Buffalo. So you'd have to fire him. Which again after the season they had was never going to happen.

[@jeffa.7618]

Bahl, L. Hughes, Nemec all playing major minutes in their first full seasons - bad goaltending (and failure to address it) - loss of offensive chem upfront - injuries - players with down years - scandal... Take your picks. The defense wasn't great, the starts each game weren't great, and they couldn't string together 3W in a row all year. They'll be a playoff team next year if a couple of those things are resolved. However, they'll need to add grit, size, and experience if they want to go on a deep run. Some of that just takes time. We'll see. For moves: -Hire the right coach, someone with a more responsible system. -Get a goalie (possibly Markstrom - 2 year bridge to the next solution in net, maybe it's still Markstrom for a little longer if he plays well) -Trade for/sign one LD upgrade -Sign 2 new bottom 6 gritty players (one being a 3/4C) -Bridge deal Mercer. -Stay patient with TERM on that 19mil capspace rn Mercer might ultimately be traded as the years go on. 43 and 17 are gonna need to get paid in the next 2 years, so we'll see what their growth dictates. Good problem to have. Mercer getting priced out longterm would mean Nemec and Hughes became who we thought they could be.

[@yoholmes273]

Move number should be firing Tom Fitzgerald. However our lame ownership group does not have the cojones to do so. Let's start at Goaltending. Ruff was fired after never having a goaltending save percentage over .900 his entire tenure. Fitzgerald should be fired over his handling of the Goaltending alone. Defense , Bahl was essentially a rookie. No real legitimate team starts 3 rookie defenceman & expects to win. Hattaka & Bowers also rookies. For 2 weeks NJ played 5 rookie defenceman & Smith. Disgraceful. The bottom 6 sucks and is filled with potato cans who don't score more than 15 goals per year. Palat contract sucks & Timos is a disgrace. Let's face facts, Dougies contract is terrible also

[@Brandon_Wallis]

⁠@@yoholmes273 you’re definitely one of the idiots I fight with on Facebook 🤣 I agree with the coaching decision and goalie decisions and waiting so long. Imo smith should be gone miller should have stayed and Hatakka showed a lot of promise. 22-23 dougie for the money was an absolute steal and anyone would pay that price for that. Injuries are clearly a problem. Losing your best faceoff man and one of your older defenders doesn’t help keep pucks out of the net either. This year was insane don’t go for peoples heads over 1 bad season when they literally broke the franchise record 1 year ago. Timo has looked amazing playing in his natural position and that falls on Lindy for not putting him there. So many players playing through injury and a few have already gotten overdue surgeries. There’s only so much you can do. Sign Macdermid for the protection put him on the back end to replace smith since he also has played D in the past. No point in keeping him a forward if he can’t keep up with the speed of the young forwards.

[@jeffa.7618]

​​@@yoholmes273it's pretty astonishing thinking about just how inexperienced the blueline was at times this year with injuries when it was already green enough as is. The only thing I disagree with you on is Timo. He played through injury when he wasn't straight up out of the lineup for good chunks this year. But when he got to play with Nico and PP1 time you saw the player we all expect him to be. Hamilton's contract is movable with how it's structured when he gets to years 5-7 of the deal, so I'm not worried about that. He was also the first big signing to try and get other UFA's to consider NJ and show we're serious about taking steps out of a rebuild. Palat's is legit bad. No way around that one. Great person, but we need him to not play like a 2mil player getting paid 6mil 😅

[@gabetalks9275]

@@yoholmes273 There is so much wrong with everything you just said. 1. The reason why we overplayed our rookies is because we lost Hamilton, so we had no veteran puck moving defenseman, and because of injuries. Siegenthalar and Miller were also gone for several weeks. 2. Bottom 6 players aren't supposed to score goals. They're their for grit and extra depth. 15 goals from a bottom 6 forward is respectable for that limited ice time, especially when you're talking about 4th liners. 3. Palat's contract is not that bad. He provides grit, forechecking, and veteran leadership. He's not been an elite scorer. His offense always waits until the playoffs to come out. 4. The moment Ruff was fired, Meier immediately started scoring at a PPG pace, so clearly is not a disgrace. Ruff was just holding him back. 5. Fitz took this team from being a lottery team under Shero to a 2nd team in only 3 years. Our top scorers used to be Kyle Palmieri and our top defenseman used to be Sami Vatanen. So yeah, I think Fitz has done a pretty good job. Firing him solely because he fumbled the goaltending is stupid. Not every single move a GM makes is going to work out. This isn't NHL24 where everything always works out in your favor.

[@kylethomas1953]

Long term letting go of Graves and Severson was the right decision

[@zept2170]

If Gravy was cheaper, I could see signing him again, but what the pens offered him is just stupid money, for a third pair defenseman.

[@ReganHuang]

Timo, Dougie, JHughes injuries pretty much killed the season

[@tehbeernerd]

Injuries are cope. They’d have still made the playoffs in spite of all of them if they had goaltending that could stop a beach ball.

[@ReganHuang]

@@tehbeernerd Goalscoring has ticked up in the last 3 years and is pretty much an upward trend for the last 10 years. I'd agree that even average goaltending probably gets the devils a few more wins but that doesn't stop NJ from getting peppered. The true contenders are built off a solid top 4 and top 6. You can no longer rely on hero goaltenders to save your ass. The 22-23 Devils had an electric offense that outshot their opponents and surprised opposition's offense. The 23-24 season was terrible on both ends. I'm not even NJD rider - just a SJS fan watching Timo. I still thinking NJ needs to figure out what they're doing with Holtz / Mercer situation. They won't keep both guys and there's probably better defensive middle 6 UFAs out there.

[@michaelbecker2435]

Nico and Dougie getting hurt killed the defense early on and they never really recovered.

[@zept2170]

​@@ReganHuangThey need to trade holtz and make Mercer a center again on the 3rd line. 1st line should be Haula, Nico, Palat. 2nd line should be Bratt, Hughes, Timo 3rd line is Foote, Mercer, Bastian 4th line is McDermod, Lazar and a new centerman, some one big. 1st is vet, 2nd goal, 3rd is guts/grease, 4th is a hitting line

[@kradz5172]

​@@zept2170 I don't know. That Bratt, Nico, Timo line were playing really well together. I also wonder about Hughes as a center. He definitely needs to add some more muscle and get better on the draw. He's the kind of player that works extremely hard at his deficits so I think both those things can be rectified. We'll see.

[@666kingdrummer]

I know what this team's main concerns are and understand why that is, but can the Devils *PLEASE* keep MacDermid? The main reason so many of their players were so injured this year, is because they're just constantly getting abused out there by the other team.

[@zept2170]

Fitz already said he wants to sign him, which they need to, plus one more big guy. 4th line needs to be a hitting line

[@kradz5172]

I'm for bringing him back but what good does it really do when he's only playing 5-7 minutes a night? He's not going to be playing on a top line so he's not protecting any of the guys on the top line. I don't know who would be available that could fill that void but that's what they need.

[@yoholmes273]

Nj needs real legit players who are tough. Not just some potato can fighter that offers nothing else.

[@jessiegandhi4340]

The Devils should be ready to compete in the playoffs consistently if they add the right pieces.. get a good coach, goaltender and defenseman at all costs Tom Fitzgerald.. LGD!! 😈

[@subfail4810]

Timo is a legit star. Basically had 30 goals with 2 bad knees and a bummed shoulder and Ruff had him on the 3rd line at times

[@michaelbecker2435]

Lindy only had him on the 3rd line when he was coming back from injury so he didn't re-aggravate it. Fitz blew the markstrom trade knowing damn well the team needed a goalie the teams entire back half was either injured or a rookie.

[@NothingToPointOut24]

@@michaelbecker2435 So put a potential 50 goal scorer on a checking line and 2nd PP where the chance of a goal is basically zilch? Timo exploded when Toffoli was traded and Lindy got canned. Cant tell me that was an accident. If he's healthy next season, he's going to win the Rocket.

[@kradz5172]

​@@NothingToPointOut24 it definitely helped that after Ruff got relieved of his duties that they put Timo on the wing he has always played on (RW). But that being said he was really hurt and it definitely caused him to not be the player the team thought they were getting when they traded for him. In March when he was healthier (the things he was playing through sound like a nightmare) he was lights out. The fact he was playing that well while not being close to 100% shows just how good he is.

[@yoholmes273]

Timo is a legit TERRIBLE contract. Legit

[@andrewi559]

@@michaelbecker2435 Fitz didn't blow the Markstrom trade, Calgary's ownership canned it after the Flames GM and Markstrom approved it. Regardless, after the trade deadline we actually had average goaltending, but the team was far too broken to push for the playoffs.

[@themikeygshow1271]

Jack Hughes played only 62 games this year and had 74 points

[@jeffa.7618]

Yeah, I heard Shannon's error of 67 games as well. 98pt pace over 82 games, and he played a number of those with a shoulder in need of surgical repair... As long as he can get his strength and durability up in the coming 2-3 szns of his career NJ will be in a great spot.

[@JerseyGrove]

Does nothing but accumulate points. Not a leader, he’s too soft and arrogant and doesn’t score big goals.

[@jeffa.7618]

@@JerseyGrove I mean he did pretty well against NYR last year fwiw, grove. Jack is immature, he's 22, and he has some growing up to do with his attitude. 100%. It'll come, though. Adversity should humble him a bit, and he really needs it imo. I get what you're saying, but I think he's capable of changing and growing into that player with time.

[@Dietghostscp2107]

Me. Sliding innfor the Shannon Devs vid.

[@dimitu_]

Not only the blue line was an issue. The TEAM defense effort was poor. A lot of bad positioning and mistakes during zone exit have absolutely influenced those goals against stat The needs are - veteran D-man, mid-6 playmaker, another two-way center to fill the loss of McLeod

[@tehbeernerd]

The team effort was poor in general. Early on, I could feel there was a sense of arrogance and entitlement, and the last day the team confirmed as much.

[@iliaponomarev1624]

I think Devils mainly need to avoid doing something stupid like going to a UFA market for a big name. A reasonably healthy season under a good coach with Allen as a starter/1A should be enough to get them back into a playoff spot.

[@gabetalks9275]

The goal shouldn't be to simply make the playoffs. We're deep enough to complete for a Cup and 36 year old Allen is not gonna carry us to one.

[@tehbeernerd]

No chance they stick with Allen at starter, and the front office has said as much

[@frankytanky5076]

@@gabetalks9275 there best opportunity is make playoffs still, it’s not a cup team.

[@cmz5847]

Embarrassing they missed playoffs with all those top end draft picks they tanked for. Yikes.

[@Bowman1999]

Hope the Devils bounce back next season. They really missed Hamilton hopefully Jack can stay healthy for the whole year

[@TheLazyBulldog]

A goalie and a verteran dman definitely needed. But this team desperately needs grit/ physicality. This team is so soft and had no pushback the countless times their star players were run at. The third and fourth line need to be rebuilt.

[@yoholmes273]

They needed all that the entire tenure of Fitzgerald. Fitz sucks

[@FrankO-ek1ec]

Ullmark and Zadorov would be a good start.

[@MacNHatter]

Everything that could've gone wrong went wrong for the Devils. Gotta fix the Goalie situation and get more gritty players. Team can only be so finesse with guys like Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier.

[@Bylethdev]

Lets not go with the obvious: they need depth. Not many ppl mention this, but losing mcleod really hurt them on that department. He was putting good numbers, incredible faceoffs and 2 way forward that was on the rise, then he got arrested and suddenly they didnt had a 3rd line anymore. Some guys came up from ahl or trades, but wasnt enough. You need to add some depth to help the top 6 when they struggle.

[@GamingPro-ln4li]

Looks good

[@RiotnRespect]

I will never under appreciate the effort put into the research and your knowledge for each team in this league. Great video and I hope the Devils can get back to the promise land next season.

[@tee_es_bee]

Leave 10% of cap space as reserve to patch up whatever during the season and get something on defense with the rest. Leave the goalies to sort it out.

[@NothingToPointOut24]

Scott Stevens for head coach needs to pick up some steam. With the likely candidates out there, no one is going to excite the fanbase. Berube? Gallant? Pass pass passsss. Def expect Fitz to search for a bigtime upgrade at goalie. If Jake Allen is the starter on Opening Night that would be a disaster even though he is solid. He's not a starter for a Cup contender. Maybe Gibson. Maybe Markstrom. Depends on the compensation. Not gonna give up the 1st for either of those guys though.

[@zept2170]

Stevens or Bruce Driver, both still live in NJ and both have coaching experience, albeit Driver on a high school level, but his team won state champs twice. Otherwise for former Devils that fit would be Pandolfo whose at BU or Brian Gionta at I believe Niagra U. Otherwise give Sarge a chance. The only outside coach I like is Sullivan, but it looks like the Pens are honoring their extension.

[@Nathanielhiggerson66]

I wouldnt call the Devils a cup contender rn. up n coming playoff team, but theres a bit to go to call them a contender

[@666kingdrummer]

Stevens came out a long time ago and said he wasn't interested in coaching anymore.

[@gabetalks9275]

Berube would be a great head coach. What do you mean?

[@loadedweapon1]

Wishful thinking to not give up a 1st for one of those goaltenders

[@jayjayson9613]

The analytical darlings! Lmao. Gave me joy to see this overhyped team miss the playoffs.

[@LitlBUBS]

They are absolutely not going with Jake allen as the no. 1 next year

[@devils13]

Yep - Zero chance

[@TylerMorganShow]

Devils will be in playoffs next year.

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

acquire veteran defensemen in free agency? Pesce from Carolina? Barre from Nashville?

[@tommyz9413]

They should go after Ullmark, and bring in two D men. One top 4 type D man and an upgrade in the 3rd pairing.

[@elwizschold]

112 pts was over performing, this year I bet they'd end up at a .500 points percentage (can't remember which video I posted that comment on). I think they'll improve next season and really compete for a playoff spot, I'm guessing they'll end up around 92-95 points.

[@Death_To_Kong]

Undefeated preseason cursed us.

[@973Luca973]

I still think Devils should go for a goalie like Markstrom and a Brady Tkathcuk from Senators. Brady would add a bit more thought needed offense. Why do I think he would be a good fit? Well on the last game Devils played Sens Brady alone delivered 16 hits on the Devils, while Devils total hits delivered during that game was 12 total..Devils need that physically. Giving Kurtis McDermid a contract was a good move because belive it or not teams play teams differently when they know there is a shark like McDermid in the water.

[@lindacorwin9066]

Perhaps I'm missing something but it seems to me that no team covered in this series so far has a good chance of drafting in the third position. Is there a reason for this?

[@patch8376]

Like a late 2010s Edmonton?

[@missstar219]

staying healthy is their biggest problem

[@yoholmes273]

No, the biggest problem is a GM that does not expect and demand success.

[@tt128556]

Not here to mock anyone but I remember THG predicting that Devils vs Stars would be the stanley cup matchup. The Stars still have a chance so getting it 50 % right is pretty good already.

[@martin9202]

They will let Schmid and Daws share the net in AHL for the next season. They get a starting goalie and Allen's contract ends next season that's when Daws or Schmid gets backup job. That's just my opinion based on Fitz's answers. :) The defense is tricky... I do believe that Hamilton's injury sinked the season for them because Fitz definetly relied on him to as veteran lead the younger ones... His injury was extremly unlucky,,, Other than that, Luke and Simon showed they are absolutly ready for NHL, nevertheless they should be in much less prominent roles to gain experience... That means if they want to add veteran (they should) it's via trade... becasue one of Marino/Siegs needs to make space for them... Bahl is developing nicely in his first season he made big progress and I hope they don't trade him... He got plenty of experience from this season as well and he can build on it... So the defense is still very young but they should eb able to sqeez in a top 4 veteran and 6/7th veteran.

[@michaelbecker2435]

Fire fitz he screw the team this season... Dumbest thing the team did was fire Lindy and keep that bum.

[@benoitrobitaille5235]

Maybe the Devils could of traded for Allen 1, 2 or even 3 months earlier … Just a thought from a Montreal Canadiens fan.

[@tehbeernerd]

They tried in December and got told to eat shit

[@GemCardCollecting]

Spend the cap space on a goalie.

[@brandonb.6099]

The devils goaltending was inconsistent this season

[@TheEthanSem]

Looking at the UFA list, the Devils should be keeping around Brendan Smith and Kurtis MacDermid. I know Smith is prone to a late-game penalty, but he was very solid on the PK and feels like a true 'do what's best for the team' guy with how often he played as a winger this season. More importantly: the Devils have practically nobody else besides those two who are willing to throw punches and defend the top guys like Hughes, Hischier, and Bratt from getting hit. It feels like every other team but Jersey is willing to hit and they need some enforcer-like guys to keep the playing field even. Give them both 2-year/$2 Million contracts on July 1st.

[@michaelbecker2435]

Later in the season timo was stepping up throwing hits and playing defense.

[@zept2170]

Smith is too much of a liability, his giveaways were way too much and he has slowed down way too much. If he retires, hiring him as an advisor or coach would be good. McDermond definently needs to stay, 4th line needs to become a hitting line need one more with McD and Lazar.

[@kradz5172]

​@@zept2170 I'm fine with Smith staying but I would want him as a 4th line forward, not a defenseman. He can play forward and it would put him in less of a position where he would take as many penalties. He's a very well liked guy in the lockerroom and is a veteran voice. He just shouldn't be on the blue line anymore.

[@zept2170]

@@kradz5172 I can agree to that, I can see a McD, Lazar, Smith 4th line working.

[@TheEthanSem]

@@zept2170 If the Devils had that 4th line, that'd be fantastic.

[@TheMTHSYoshi]

Hopinf if we trade for a goalie we take a swing at one of bostons

[@spicoli3357]

Love ya Shannon, but Quinn was right. You just said Brendan Smith & Nick DeSimone are bottom 6/depth defenseman....well, those were the two players Luke was paired with the most throughout this season. Not ideal for a rookie. His other pairing was Colin Miller (also not ideal) & very little time with Marino, Siegenthaler, & Hamilton. He played with every D pairing possible aside from Bahl if I'm not mistaken. Quinn was much, much more insulated on the back end in Vancouver.

[@GoodMenstruationAttitude]

I've been assure that Lindy Ruff was the Whole Problem because the Devils are "Too talented to lose to Ottawa". So I guess just hire a coach and problem solved we're good nothing to see here. 🤣

[@FFSRay_Sens_Analysis]

They're so lucky ottawa existed to overshadow them this season or else they'd be getting way more flack

[@heathclark318]

They traded Severson, that is their only loss on defense. He was replaced by Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec later in the season. I am not tracking here. I understand losing Dougie Hamiliton for most of the season. But that shoudlnt have meant Marino Siegenthaler and Bahl should have completely dropped the puck as it were

[@zept2170]

Bahl shouldn't be lumped there, he was their best defensemen all year, led in hits, +/-, and least giveaways all year.

[@heathclark318]

@zept2170 that's what I'm saying though. I didn't watch a lot of Devils games but it seems more to me they couldn't get saves than the defense was continously breaking down. And if memory serves me correctly, Dougie Hamilton is more an offensive defenseman than defense first.

[@michaelbecker2435]

​@@heathclark318Dougie is know for his dependable slapper on the pp but he is a good break out defensemen who generally was good at knowing when to keep the line and when to fall back. Hughes constantly lost the put in his zone leading to a lot of those goals (goalies basically letting everything through didn't help). When your defense constantly turns the puck over you end up with goalies that get shaken and can't do as well as they should.

[@mbombdiggity]

absolutely zero chance they take Allen as the #1 next year. They need a true #1 goalie and want to give Daws and Schmid more time in the minors.

[@thesuneversets]

If they want Ryan graves back Pittsburgh would listen lol

[@666kingdrummer]

I wish they never let him go.

[@zept2170]

I wish they didn't let him go, but that Pittsburgh contract is stupid, that is way to much money.

[@clydeblair9622]

Never have enough goalies.

[@yoholmes273]

FITZGERALD fears legitimate goaltending

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

Todd McClellan for head coach?

[@clydeblair9622]

No. 1 would be a crime.

[@brientaylorcohen]

Exactly. #1 must go to the Rangers or a Canadian team or we riot. Bettman always rigs the lottery, eh?

[@clydeblair9622]

@@brientaylorcohen lol

[@Wogger72]

Goalie 4-5 million a year

[@gabetalks9275]

This is definitely a hot take, but I think our defense is fine. It's coaching and goaltending that are our biggest issues. Ruff was clearly a passenger last year. As soon as Brunette left, the entire team's structure completely fell apart, and Ruff made so many boneheaded decisions that cost us so many crucial games. His defenive system is most obvious example of this. Siegs and Marino were both elite last year, yet as soon as Brunette left, they both regressed massively. That's way too sharp of a drop off to not be a coaching issue. They are the veteran shut down defenders that we need, so all they need is a good coach to bring them back to form. If we can hire the right coach, then our defense is solid. The only missing roster piece left is a starting goalie. Everything else is just adding complementary depth and we're set.

[@tehbeernerd]

It’s a hot take I 100% agree with, at least.

[@GoodMenstruationAttitude]

But it sucked worse under Green

[@gabetalks9275]

@@GoodMenstruationAttitude Green moved Meier to the RW day 1 and he _suddenly_ scores a hat trick immediately after being invisible for months under Ruff on the left side. Ruff was definitely worse.

[@FHL-Devils]

Love to see the Devils make a play for Woodcroft.

[@GoodMenstruationAttitude]

@@gabetalks9275 But the defense was worse and we had a much worse record.

[@wareqo9768]

I think the devil's pick up kotketniemi

[@sst6601]

😂

[@kud5659]

Better defense PLEASE!!! And a goalie.

[@krizlad]

If the Devils go into next year with Jake Allen as their #1 goalie they will miss the playoffs again. They need a true #1 or they are going nowhere

[@vipeholmskolan6052]

I would spend the cap on Markström and a stable veteran defensive D-man, if I was Fitzgerald.

[@njswampfox474]

Trade #10 and Mercer for B Tkachuk

[@Wookie_Goldberg]

Worst run organization in hockey. Forever rebuild continues

[@billyricciardulli5965]

Says a Ranger fan…..liol.

[@ravdgnyc]

You don’t need to be a Rangers fan to see how god awful from top-down the Devils org is…have you seen their GM’s pressers? Start there

[@sst6601]

Yeah, it was tough to watch. Tough and comical at the same time. Fitzgerald is a top 🤡​@@ravdgnyc

[@JerseyGrove]

Agreed. Third rate franchise.

[@JerseyGrove]

@@billyricciardulli5965Rangers are winning the Cup and you’re trying to dunk on them? Oof.

[@tehbeernerd]

I know growth isn’t linear and blah blah blah, but I felt cheated this season. I trust Fitzgerald to get another goalie, and the coach options are getting better, and in all likelihood they’ll be back on their feet again. But I wouldn’t fall back on “their goaltending won’t be this bad again.” It has been for two out of three years, it can be again.

[@judistzoinkiski3395]

Thats your problem trusting Fitzy when he had all the time to do something but failed the tiem from last offseason to know when will you realize Fitzy sucks.

[@weswhitelock9691]

I don’t really know how much you can blame Fitz for. His moves coming off of last season made sense, ofc you’re gonna keep Lindy, VV, and Schmid on. And you’re gonna acquire a Toffoli for the playoff experience based on last season’s performance. This year was a bust for reasons we all know and like Fitz said he can’t wave a magic wand and make trades during the middle of the season. This offseason will be interesting and next season has to be better

[@jasonpaul4308]

Gibson + ??? for goalie + Holtz????

[@derkaiserzen]

I remembered that Canucks fans are worried that Quinn would joined his brothers Luke and Jack Hughes in New Jersey bc "their situation are better than Vancouver" last offseason. Look how the table turned.

[@jeffa.7618]

To those fans, I'd say don't worry about things 3-4 years from now just yet. It's ultimately going to be Quinn's decision at the end of the day anyway, no matter what. If the Canucks stay good (and I personally think they will), I like his chances of staying put and wanting to see things through to a hopeful cup in Vancouver. I'm also not worried about NJ's long-term trajectory. This was a rough year, but they will bounce back with the right decisions made this summer and the experience gained. Cheers.

[@zach3640]

Hamilton is good, but not like him being there would make them close to the playoffs. I also don't think they will ever get a full season from Hughes.

[@artiemarruffo]

he scored 22 goals last season so yea if he didnt get injured we wouldve made the playoffs

[@themadronin5228]

The PP would’ve been a bit better as well.

[@gabetalks9275]

All of y'all calling for Fitz to be fired are overreacting so hard. This guy took the Devils from being a lottery team under Shero to a Cup contender in only 3 years. Only setback year should not warrant firing him into the sun. That kind of recency bias is what gets you the Blackwood trade, and I think I speak for all Devils fan when I say that we miss him. Fitz is smart. He can fix this.

[@sst6601]

Lol. It was literally the Shero's team that made to the 2 round last year. This year was a first year of the Fitzgerald's team. Everyone saw a result.

[@gabetalks9275]

@@sst6601 Not, it wasn't. Shero was fired in 2020.

[@sst6601]

@@gabetalks9275 Hughes, Hischier,Bratt, Sharangovich, McLeod, Boqvist, Zetterlund*,Bastian and finally Schmid ( who dragged Devils into the second round) are all Shero guys. If you don't know what you're talking about than better shut up. Silence is golden.

[@gabetalks9275]

@@sst6601 Yeah, and Siegs, Marino, Hamilton, Graves, Mercer, Palat, Haula, and Meier who were also part of that team are all Fitzgerald's guys. Your point?

[@sst6601]

@@gabetalks9275 the point is that nearly all your mentioned players are gone. Palat injuries all the time( worst contract on the Devils) Hamilton - the same( the most expensive). The core of the team is Shero's. The players Fitzgerald brought are mostly injured and are non factor.. four years on the job and goaltending is a mess, defence is a mess. Yeah, brilliant job. Bottom 6 is worst in the league. Awesome job!

[@JohnnyReno71]

Funny how one year changes everything. Last year Devils fans were bragging about how glad they didn’t fire Ruff and they just loved Akira. What happened here? 😂

[@BeastOfMetal1989]

The Devils were clearly built wrong. Teams deal with injuries all the time. If one guy going down blights your entire season, it wasn't about that guy. Firing Ruff was a good step, but not enough. Gut the front office, fire Fitzgerald and BLOW IT UP!

[@JerseyGrove]

Agreed. This core isn’t winning anything.

[@judistzoinkiski3395]

Get a GM who isnt clueless and not a super big Ego problem solved. Letting Brunette walk was the wrong move but that another one to add to Fitzy is not a good gm list. Anyone but Bruce,Berube and Gallant id be good with. Berube has made it pass the 2nd round once what has he done since the cup win?, Woodcroff has 2 and Bruce will he doesnt have a good track record in playoffs. hope he doesnt ruin another season by overpaying for a goalie and watching another player score 30+. Fitzy needs to let go of the Gm role. Have no faith in Fitzy. No more going inexperience on the Dcore, no more being soft and caring about speed. They need to be tougher to play, cuz they cant be soft 3 yrs in a row now.

[@anti-uefa]

Linus Ullmark (signed and trade) for Dawson Mercer

[@devils13]

Nope

[@missstar219]

no

[@yoholmes273]

FIRE GM Tom Fitzgerald 🔥

[@brycethomas8864]

I really wish Tom Fitzgerald would just get fired already, he’s terrible…

[@JerseyGrove]

I don’t think they’re very good at all. The core is overrated and soft. Think about trading them and accumulating assets for the next rebuild. Look at the teams in the playoffs and compare them to the Devils. Men against boys. They’d never get through four rounds of the playoffs.

[@frankytanky5076]

No chance, and hughes is overrated

[@marccormier9384]

😂

[@gabetalks9275]

43 goals and 99 points as a 21 year old is overrated. Got it.

[@missstar219]

you don’t know puck

[@JerseyGrove]

@@gabetalks9275Fluke year

[@sst6601]

Fire Fitzgerald. Fire that bellend. Send Little Hughes to AHL. Get rid of Marino and Siegenthaler. That would be a good start to the free agency

[@Adam-vo6tv]

Old man Lindy, and useless Vanechek were holding us back. New year new team.