The general manager of the New Jersey Devils, Tom Fitzgerald, makes no secret of it and lays his cards on the table.
He’s open to trading the 10th pick in the upcoming draft and confirms he’s also looking to upgrade the guard position this offseason.
The CEO entrusted NHL.com that he had not yet received a tempting offer for his first-round selection, but he still clarified: “I am open to trading pick No. 10, but it will have to be for something (significant)” , explained Fitzgerald.
The Devils experienced a coaching change during the season with the firing of Lindy Ruff. After the passage of Travis Green, it is now Sheldon Keefe who will have the task of getting the team back on the right path after missing the last series.
To do this, the team will have to resolve the situation in front of the net. A total of five goalies have earned starts for the team in the 2023-24 season. Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws, Akira Schmid, Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen were sent into the fray.
Of the group, only Jake Allen is under contract with the team for next season.
Rumors suggested that the Devils were interested in the services of Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom at the trade deadline, but nothing was confirmed. Without indicating whether he will return to this option, Fitzgerald continues the research.
“I’m in the market for a goalie, but there’s a ‘but’, and that ‘but’ is how we want to build our team. We would also like to make additions up front and on defense. You need to know the price of these possible parts. For a guard, what will the price be? »
The Devils missed the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
