Elliotte Friedman pours cold water on rumors surrounding Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald’s future

Rumors tend to grow louder in the NHL, and the NJ Devils were in the middle of it in early December. In New Jersey, the noise had its focus on general manager Tom Fitzgerald. Questions surfaced about his future after the team failed to land Quinn Hughes. Not everyone, however, believes those concerns carry weight.

NHL reporter James Nichols shared clarity on the situation through social media.

"[Elliotte] Friedman reports this morning that he firmly doesn’t believe NJ Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald is in any trouble right now."

So, according to Friedman, there is no indication that New Jersey is considering a change at general manager. That message directly cooled speculation that had been building.

Friedman was discussing the Hughes trade fallout on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. He explained that New Jersey ran into internal roadblocks. Some potential deals were stopped before they could move forward, and those issues were tied to trade protection clauses already on the books.

"I do believe the Devils have had a couple of deals vetoed. Okay?" Friedman said. "I do believe that. I don’t know who, I don’t know what, but I do believe that’s happened. There’s too much noise out there for that not to have occurred."

New Jersey could not open enough cap space, as no-movement and no-trade clauses limited Fitzgerald’s flexibility. That reality left the team watching Quinn Hughes land in Minnesota. The Wild paid a steep price, but they had the room to act. New Jersey did not, despite family ties (Jack and Luke Hughes) that fueled outside speculation.

For now, the focus remains on stability. Fitzgerald keeps his role, and the Devils keep their core intact, but they have lost seven out of their last 9 games, raising concerns.

NJ Devils lost to Quinn Hughes' former team Canucks

New Jersey dropped a 2-1 decision to Vancouver on Sunday at Prudential Center, despite Quinn Hughes' absence from canucks roster after the trade. Vancouver struck first just over a minute into the game when Jake DeBrusk scored on a power play.

The Canucks doubled the lead later in the first period. Zeev Buium scored his first NHL goal on the power play to give Vancouver a 2-0 edge. New Jersey responded early in the second period when Luke Hughes cut the deficit to one.

New Jersey outshot Vancouver 26-15 and heavily tilted the ice in the third period, but could not solve Thatcher Demko again. The Devils fell to 1-4-0 in back-to-back games this season.