‘Where we are at right now is on me’: Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald takes accountability for team’s struggles
The pressure is on in the Garden State, and the New Jersey Devils‘ top hockey executive is owning up to his team’s failures.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald admitted the team’s performance so far during the 2025-26 season hasn’t been good. Yet, he’s the one taking responsibility for the team struggling to stay in the hunt for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“This is on me, Fitzgerald said. “Where we’re at right now is on me. I’m one to take accountability on myself. Accountability is a word that we use a lot with every part of our organization.”
After qualifying for the postseason twice in a three-year span, the Devils have struggled to keep up with the rest of the pack in the ever-competitive Eastern Conference. Despite coming away with a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night, it didn’t erase the four-game losing streak New Jersey was on heading into the week, which included tough losses to Metropolitan Division rivals – Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Fitzgerald mentioned how he was just coming back from the team’s yearly scouting meeting, where he and his staff are trying to find ways to make the Devils a better team.
“We are a collaborative organization, and we’re all in this together. The one thing I’m trying to do is find solutions to help this organization move forward, become the team that we believe we can be. … If we could add to that group of the core players to help them continue to grow has all been the goal. That’s kind of what we wanted to do and where we are trying to go.”
As of Wednesday morning, the Devils (23-21-2) are sixth in the Metro, five points back of the last Wild Card spot in the East. Fitzgerald noted the team’s roller-coaster play has been a telling indicator of where they stand in the standings.
“Lack of consistency is something that happens in sports, and we’re just trying to figure out how do we get by that, and how can I help with that. But I know, and you guys should know this, we’re all in this together, my group. This isn’t just, but I’m the leader of the group, and this isn’t good enough.”
The Devils were projected to be, at least, a Wild Card team this year. With Jack and Luke Hughes, along with experience in Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, the team had the makings of being one of the better teams in the division. Yet, Fitzgerald recognizes the standard hasn’t been met.
“The standards and the expectations, they’ve been set by everybody in this organization, starting with me and starting with our team, because of how well we’ve played in the past to where we wanted to go the next year. … It is absolutely not good enough. We’re not meeting the standard and expectations we’ve set.”
Fitzgerald acknowledged the fans’ displeasure with the team’s play on the ice and admitted that he and his staff are working to turn things around.
“I feel for the fans, I really do. They’re used to Stanley Cup championship teams…and anything less is unacceptable. I take that on, and I believe that. So, we’re trying to take one step at a time. I’m trying to solve some, or try to help some, things here and work on the phones daily.”
Injuries have certainly plagued New Jersey so far this season. Jack Hughes missed 17 games earlier this year due to a non-hockey injury, which hurt the team’s offense almost immediately. The off-ice drama involving Dougie Hamilton certainly hasn’t deterred the team’s detractors either. There’s still plenty of hockey to be played, but the Devils have some work to do to be considered playoff contenders once again.
The Devils will look to stay in the win column on Wednesday night when they host the Seattle Kraken.
You can watch Fitzgerald’s full media availability here…