With 27 games under the New Jersey Devils belt, let’s take a look back at the moves GM Tom Fitzgerald made over the summer.
Hiring Sheldon Keefe – A
The biggest and most needed move the Devils made over the summer was hiring a new head coach. After having an abysmal 2023-24 season, the Devils found themselves without a head coach at the end of the season. Keefe was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs and failed to have any success in the playoffs.
Before joining the Devils, Keefe was one of the most successful coaches in the league. After five seasons as a head coach, his record was 212-97-40.
As anyone would expect, the Devils had to make some adjustments under a new coaching staff and new system. Inconsistency plagued the Devils in the beginning of the season, but now the Devils seem to be clicking as they have won eight of their last 10. Their current record under Keefe is 16-9-2.
Keefe has implemented a new mentality into the Devils. This year a new level of physicality has been brought to the Devils, while also having a no-backing-down mentality. Everyone on the ice has been seen sticking up for their teammates and the improved brotherhood of the team is clear to anyone who is watching the game. Keefe is honest when it comes to his players, he is not afraid to call them out and sit them if needed, something the Devils lacked in the past.
The sole reason why Keefe has not received an A+ is because of inconsistency issues. Despite the Devils having a better record as of late, the losses the Devils recently have had were mostly shutouts. With the firepower and offensive skill the Devils have, they should not be getting shut out consistently.
Traded for Jacob Markstrom – A-
GM Tom Fitzgerald was back to his typical ways when he traded for elite goaltender Markstrom. Kevin Bahl and a 2025 first-round pick were sent back to the Calgary Flames in exchange.
The trade itself was another masterclass trade by Fitzgerald. The Devils have lacked any consistency in net in previous years. Bahl most likely wouldn’t have cracked the roster this year with the defenders we currently have. With the Devils becoming one of the top teams in the league, the first-round pick given up will not be anything from picks one to 10.
Markstrom has been better in net as of late, but it does not take away from the games he did not look like a top level goalie. Realistically, the Devils goaltending is still under average compared to the rest of the league, but the Devils defense has been so good that they are able to hold onto games.
Markstrom has highlight-reel worthy saves but also has had goals he would want back. He has kept the Devils in multiple games, but has also had slip ups along the way.
Traded for Jonathan Kovacevic – A+
GM Tom Fitzgerald had another masterclass trade when he acquired Kovacevic for an irrelevant 2026 fourth-round pick. No one knew what a star Kovacevic would end up being for the New Jersey Devils.
Kovacevic has been paired with Jonas Siegenthaler since the beginning of the season and they have become a top 10 defensive pairing in the league. Despite being a defensive defenseman, he still has accumulated nine points in 27 games. He can potentially pass his career high, 15 points in 77 games, if he continues to play the way he has been.
Kovacevic plays big minutes for the Devils. Before he joined New Jersey, his highest time on ice per game in a season was 17:25, now in 27 games with the Devils, he averages over 19 minutes per game. You can see Kovacevic on the penalty kill, getting his body in front of the puck, defending a lead late in the game and sticking up for his teammates.
For giving away a 2026 fourth-round pick, the Devils could not have asked for a better player.
Signing Stefan Noesen – A
Devils fans rejoiced when the news of Noesen returning back to the Garden State was announced. A fan favorite from his previous time with the Devils and seeing how much his game has grown made his return heavily anticipated.
Noesen is on a three-year, 2.75 million AAV deal, a perfect deal for a middle six player of his caliber. He is expected to pass his career high in points as he is only 15 points away and has been producing constantly for the Devils. In 27 games, he already has 22 points – 13 goals and nine assists. Noesen needs one more goal to tie his career high in goals.
Noesen plays the exact game Devils fans expected him to play – gritty, smart, not afraid and quick. His net front presence has been vital on the Devils power play, he already has six power play goals so far this season, tied for fourth in the league. His ability to produce on the powerplay has also helped the Devils power play unit jump to first place in the league with a success percentage of 33.7%.
With his ability to play on any line and produce, he was the perfect player to sign this offseason to help improve the Devils offensive lines.
Signing Tomas Tatar – B-
Tatar was another familiar face that rejoined the Devils this offseason. In his previous years with the Devils, he played alongside Nico Hischier and had two very successful seasons. He currently is on a one-year, 1.8 million contract.
With the improvements to the Devils roster, Tatar was signed to be a bottom-six forward, unlike his previous time with the Devils. Despite not getting as many minutes as previous seasons, he still has nine points in 26 games. Before rejoining the Devils, Tatar had two down seasons, not cracking over 15 points. Hopefully, he can find his mojo with the Devils again and become a player similar to his previous years.
While Devils fans knew he most likely was not going to have the best season of his career, it is safe to say Devils fans might have been expecting more from him. For a player who had multiple 40+ point seasons, Devils fans were expecting him to be a good fit for a middle six player, but he has found himself mostly on the fourth line.
While the points are not there yet for Tatar, his leadership and presence in the room does not go unnoticed. In the beginning of the season, it was made known Tatar felt he had family in this NJ Devils locker room, he and his teammates were excited about his return. Tatar has time to prove himself and have another good season as there is a long way until the final game.
Signing Brett Pesce – B+
Pesce was one of the big names this offseason looking for a new place to call home. He joined the Devils on a six-year, 5.5 million AAV contract.
Pesce did not join the Devils in the beginning of the season as he was still recovering from an injury. Ever since his arrival, he has looked better in each game. He has been paired with Luke Hughes and has heavily influenced Hughes’ defensive game, something that was previously not as good.
Pesce was not a defenseman that was going to put up a lot of points for the Devils, he is a stay-at-home, 6’3” defenseman who is not afraid to get physical. Not only does his physical side help his defensive play, his long reach helps him break up multiple plays from the opposing team. He has been calm and collected on the blueline for the Devils and has become a vital part of one of the league’s best defensive units.
Worry around his contract started immediately because of his age. Pesce just turned 30 this November, meaning he will be 35 by the end of his contract. With Pesce leaving his prime, will his play begin to slow? Will he be getting paid too much by the end of his contract? These are the thoughts from Devils fans surrounding Pesce.
Signing Brendan Dillon – B
Brendan Dillon was another huge signing in free agency that fans didn’t know what to expect from. Dillon is currently on a three-year, 4 million AAV contract with the Devils.
Dillon has started off his NJ Devils career in a very positive way. He has brought size, strength, grittiness and fearlessness to the Devils blueline. He looks out for the young stars on the team and makes his presence known. His defensive abilities have balanced out his partner, Dougie Hamilton, who is a tremendous offensive defenseman.
In previous years, the Devils were seriously lacking in the hits department. With the addition of Dillon, and a few others, the Devils have added some serious numbers when it comes to hits. Dillon is second on the Devils in total number of hits, 72, just behind Paul Cotter who has 82.
An issue with Dillon will come later in his contract. He currently is 34, and just began his three-year contract. The Devils have young potential stars in defensemen Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey who have yet to truly start their NHL careers. Once these two are ready to officially cross over, where will Dillon’s role go? Or will Dillon’s spot prevent one of these two from making the jump from the AHL to the NHL? Since it looks like neither are ready to be an everyday NHL player, that is not something to worry about yet, but it will definitely be coming quicker than we think.
Trading Holtz/Schmid for Paul Cotter – A-
When GM Fitzgerald traded Alex Holtz and Akira Schmid for Paul Cotter, there were some question marks floating around. Cotter ended all those questions and doubts early on in the season as he showed exactly why he deserves to be here.
Cotter started off the season hot for the Devils, scoring five goals in seven games. Since then he has slowed his point production, but has been important to the Devils in other ways. Cotter brings a physical presence to the Devils forward group. With the top two lines being more about skill, quickness and creativeness, the Devils needed more forwards to balance out the lack of physicality. Cotter has done exactly that as he leads the Devils with 82 hits so far this season.
Despite being a bottom six player, he still has 12 points in 27 games so far for the Devils while only averaging about 13 minutes per game.
Not only did the trade actually benefit the Devils, seeing how Holtz and Schmid have performed this season has only solidified that the Devils won the trade.
Holtz has played 25 games for the Vegas Golden Knights this season and has scored one goal and has had seven assists. When Holtz was on the Devils, the hope was he would turn out to be the goal scorer they were looking for, which did not happen and has not happened in Vegas either. Schmid has played one game in the NHL for Vegas so far, spending most of his time in the AHL. He has struggled between the pipes in the AHL, only winning one out of ten games and has a save percentage of .895%.
All of the Devils offseason moves so far have been important to the Devils successful thus far in the season. How will these additions look come the end of the season?
