The New Jersey Devils are no longer rebuilding. That phase is finished. What happens next will define this franchise for a decade. It demands a full and serious evaluation of the front office. This is no longer about patience or development. It is about whether the organization’s leadership is equipped to guide a championship roster across the finish line.
Over the past several seasons, Tom Fitzgerald has proven he can move past the rebuilding phase, but he has yet to prove he can be the guy to take this team to contention. Fitzgerald deserves credit for rescuing the Devils from obscurity and assembling one of the league’s most dynamic young cores, all signed to reasonable contracts.