The 2022-23 NHL season will see the emergence of one of my favorite teams: the New Jersey Devils.
We’ve been waiting for them to take that next tangible step. It could be possible, if they can get league-average goaltending.
Tom Fitzgerald, Devils general manager, told me Monday that there is no internal expectation.
“To be highly competitive. To put the most competitive team, in my time here in New Jersey, on the ice,” said Fitzgerald, who joined the team’s front office as assistant GM in July 2015 and is beginning his third full season GM. “On paper is different than how we jell and mesh together on the ice. But there’s a different vibe around here.
“For some reason, if you ask the players, there’s something different.”
It wasn’t an explosive offseason for the Devils, although it’s not like they didn’t Try to achieve greater things.
But Fitzgerald did add championship pedigree in unrestricted-free-agent signing Ondrej Palat, and he traded the likes Erik Haula, John Marino Vitek Vanecek — all guys who are used to making the playoffs.
“When you bring in guys like that who expect to be competitive and expect to make a push, it’s contagious,” Fitzgerald said.
