BUFFALO -- The New Jersey Devils are willing to trade the No. 10 pick in the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft for the right price.
"If we feel it helps us now and in the foreseeable future, then, yes, I'm listening," New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald told NHL.com on Monday during a break from interviews at the NHL Scouting Combine. "I haven't gotten anything yet but the more I talk to teams, I say 'Listen, I'm open to moving No. 10, but it's going to have to be something (significant).'"
The Devils have six picks in the 2024 draft, including the No. 10 selection and two third-round picks. They traded their second-round pick as part of the compensation to the San Jose Sharks when they acquired forward Timo Meier on Feb. 26, 2023.
"At the end of the day, we're in a position now versus two years ago when we drafted (defenseman) Simon Nemec (No. 2 in the 2022 NHL Draft) where if we can find the right piece to help us get to where we want to go today, tomorrow and wherever the controllable future is for that player, great," Fitzgerald said. "That's the mindset versus 'Great, we have a top-10 pick and this kid is going to be fantastic when he's 25 years old'."
There's no question the Devils are in win-now mode; they failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th time in 12 seasons after ending the 2022-23 regular season with the most wins (52) and points (112) in franchise history.
"This has got to be that season where we take that step, year in, year out, to consistently be banging on the door," Fitzgerald said. "It has to be. Everybody, including myself, the players, staff, we’ve got to look in the mirror and say, 'What's going on here?' I think you're going to see a very motivated group."
Fitzgerald checked off the first item on his offseason to-do list when he hired Sheldon Keefe as the 22nd coach in Devils history on May 23. Keefe, who was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 9, is expected to join Fitzgerald and the rest of the Devils managerial team Wednesday at the combine, which runs through Saturday.
"I think Sheldon is going to inject a lot of jump, a lot of change, it's a different voice," Fitzgerald said. "He got Toronto into the playoffs each of the five seasons he was there. Look, I don't want to put the cart before the horse ... let's be a perennial playoff contender and then we'll figure it out."
Fitzgerald was very clear that in order to become a consistent playoff qualifier, however, he needs to upgrade the goalie position. The Devils allowed 3.43 goals per game, tied for 26th in the League, and Jake Allen is the only one of the five goalies to play for them this season who is under contract for 2024-25.
Since being hired as the full-time GM in July 2020, Fitzgerald has seen 12 different goalies play at least one game. Two (Vitek Vanecek, Mackenzie Blackwood) have played 80-plus games, and two others (Nico Daws, Akira Schmid) have totaled at least 40.
"I'm in the goalie market talking to teams, but there's a 'but' and the 'but' is how do we want to build our team?" Fitzgerald said. "We'd like to add up front, we'd like to add on the back end, so what are those pieces going to cost us. With the goaltending, what's that going to cost us?
"Does the No. 10 pick get you that type of player that you can add to the group. It's easy to say, 'Go get so-and-so and then you build from there.' But there are some guys who have different contracts so how are those players going to reprice at. There's a lot to it, but, yes, the focus is on finding that goaltender."
Fitzgerald said he'll sit with Keefe to discuss team strengths, weaknesses, and where improvements are needed. Of course, one area of strength is the forward group, which included five players with at least 20 goals this season: Meier (28 goals), Jack Hughes (27), Jesper Bratt (27), Nico Hischier (27) and Dawson Mercer (20). Tyler Toffoli scored 26 before being traded to the Winnipeg Jets on March 8.
Hughes, who had shoulder surgery April 10, is on schedule to be ready for training camp. The 23-year-old, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, had 74 points in 62 games this season.
"His range of motion is not completely full, but he's doing a lot of things (off-ice)," Fitzgerald said. "He's working out to gain strength, a lot of plyometrics. He's really excited and is looking forward to getting to the gym every day, get stronger, and that's music to my ears. What's this kid going to be like when he puts on another 10 pounds of muscle?"
Fitzgerald said he'll enjoy spending a few days in Buffalo at the combine, speaking and listening to many of the top skaters and goalies eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, before diving into key solutions to those important questions over the summer. It's a tradition he's done each season.
"It's getting to know kids, see how they react to the questions," he said. "You get to see their personalities with how they answer; are they rehearsed? There's a lot of value in being able to ask questions and being able to put the pieces together. But at the end of the day, they're 17-, 18-year-old kids who our scouts are asked to project what they're going to be at 24-, 25-, 26-years-old, and that's hard. But it's always a fun process."
