Hello Devils friends and family, I hope you’re all enjoying your reprieve from *gestures at Newark*. It’s no secret that this current version of the Devils has flamed out spectacularly. If it is a secret… umm, surprise! They have 25 games left, and would need to go 20-4-1 to get to 99 points and be in a comfortable playoff spot. Your mileage may vary on what you see as the problem, and the blame game is in full force, from the owners to the 4th line to the medical team and most recently, Jack seems
to be the target du jour. And quite frankly it’s all correct – there is blame to go around to everyone in that pile. Some pretty serious changes need to be made top to bottom.
The first step starts at the top. Tom Fitzgerald leads this organization, and leads my list of changes that need to be made and this seems to be a widely shared opinion. However, if Tom is replaced, it cannot be an interim GM from inside the organization. We need fresh eyes to dispassionately examine the roster, scouting, drafting, and operations. Jared wrote a longer blog about this and I agree: Our two AGMs are not people I would have faith in making the necessary changes for the Devils. Dan MacKinnon oversees a bad Utica team and ineffective player development, while Kate Madigan is behind the scenes and more of an operational role and has a large say in contracts. If Tom goes, both of them should as well so there is no connection between regimes. The third internal option scares me more than these two, advisor Chuck Fletcher. He is only an advisor because no one would touch him for a GM role – and guess what? He and Fitz are buddies and that’s why he is here and to advise on contracts, scouting, and operations.
This entire front office tenure can be summed up in the phrase “too little, too late.” Goalie changes, coaching changes, roster additions – all too little too late. The most recent acquisition, Nick Bjugstad, as Chris wrote was three months too late. The only big swing this group took was for Timo Meier, a deadline move that was about as obvious as can be, meanwhile we have gone 3 consecutive years with glaring season-long holes that went unaddressed. Colorado fixed their goalie issues a month into the 24-25 season, Carolina managed to swing a trade for Rantanen and later flip him when they realized he wasn’t going to sign long term. Don’t get me started on Quinn. Meanwhile Fitz builds his roster in the offseason and dabbles at the deadline, and even then he only comes in second, or “owes it to the team” to bring in Andrew Hammond.
One place I think we should probably retain is our amateur scouting mechanism. For as poor as the 1st round drafting has been, the team’s later rounds picking has been fine to good and the verdict is still out on some of the last two years. Daniil Orlov, Roszival, Moe, Cheslock, Yegorov, and Malek all show potential from our most recent crop and I encourage you to check in on James’ prospect updates.
We Know Tim, Get to the Point
Sorry, I get a little carried away talking about Fitz. Anyway, I wanted to look through a variety of GM/Front Office options, and truly hope the ownership group takes a broad sweeping look at different ways to approach the role(s). Whether that is finding a more “traditional” experienced Manager, whether they are going to split the President of Hockey Operations and GM roles, and whether they are going to look outside the box. So I decided to scour the marketplace for options that are very much traditional to options that are very much not – and people in between. We need to find the next Bill Zito, Breisbois, or Jim Nil – all three of which came from different worlds.
Luckily for me, I got some help from people that know more than me. As you probably are aware, Barry Trotz is stepping down as the Predators GM, and Elliott Friedman rattled off a variety of potential options on 32 Thoughts. Frank Seravelli mentioned on his show that there may be expectations that the Devils will be making a GM change this summer while also discussing the Preds job, implying the Devils job may be more desirable. So, let’s take a look at those options for the big chair.
Traditional “Hockey Guys” With GM Experience
Rob Blake: Blake is most notably known for stepping into he Kings GM where he pivoted the team into a significant roster rebuild and away form an aging core, bringing in Fiala, drafting Byfield and Clarke, and taking a swing on Dubois. I do like that he recognized that didn’t work and pivoted to a solution… how refreshing to have a GM realize his mistake and move off it getting value in return. His downfall was the Edmonton Oilers.
Brendan Shanahan: Hired to transform a struggling franchise, Shanahan initiated a comprehensive rebuild that resulted in drafting cornerstone players Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. He oversaw consistent regular-season success, including nine straight playoff appearances, however I think we are all aware of their failure to get past their playoff ghosts. He would probably be more of a POHO role, similar to what he held in Toronto, so if the Devils keep the role the same (POHO/GM) or split them into two separate roles – he could be a consideration.
Marc Bergevin: He is best known for his role as GM of the Montreal Canadiens (2012–2021), leading them to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final during the lockout year. Two of his key acquisitions were Nick Suzuki and Shea Weber (for PK). As GM of the Canadiens, he oversaw six playoff appearances and previously won a Stanley Cup as Director of Player Personnel with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.
Peter Chiarelli: No.
Traditional “Hockey Guys” That Are AGMs
Jamie Langenbrunner: You many not know that he is the AGM of the Bruins where he manages player personnel decisions, evaluates pro and amateur talent, and oversees prospect progression. He is well thought of for his work in scouting, identifying player improvements, and assisting with draft preparations and is on the “next” list according to people that know things. Worth an interview.
Jason Spezza: Currently serves as an AGM under Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh. Moved with Dubas from Toronto to continue his work in hockey operations, scouting, and player development, particularly in Wilkes Barre, where he took over the role to manage the organization’s top prospects and minor league operations. He also served under Dubas as a special assistant with the Leafs from 22-23, so since his entry into management he has had a pretty impressive apprenticeship with one of the league’s best young GMs. It’s no coincidence that Toronto is a on dumpster fire watch after both he and Dubas left. Dubas (and by extension Spezza) gets a lot of flak for no real reason, he was really hurt by the Covid-induced flat cap more than anything. Also worth an interview.
“Hockey Guys” you May Not Know (Mostly AGMs)
Ryan Bowness: Ryan Bowness is a prominent NHL executive currently serving as the AGM and Director of Player Personnel of the Islanders. He has moved up the ranks on the player personnel and pro scouting side of the house through Atlanta/Winnipeg, Ottawa and Pittsburgh. I have long felt our pro scouting is severely lacking, and instead of unearthing undervalued assets, we have given known commodities term on the back half of their deals in UFA.
Ryan Johnson: Ryan Johnson is currently the AGM of the Canucks and GM of Abbotsford. You may balk at the Vancouver part of that, but he has overseen a very successful Abbotsford team that won the Calder Cup in 2025. He also comes from the player development side of the house which also needs some work (see comment under Bowness). He is credited with the AHL -> NHL transition of guys like Silovs and Hoglander, while also working on the cap and pro scouting.
Brad Pascal: Brad Pascal is currently the Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Calgary Flames, a role he has held since 2014. He also serves as the General Manager of the Flames’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. He also serves as co-general manager for international events for Hockey Canada such as the Spengler Cup, working alongside Joe Thornton. One thing the Devils lack is any high end Candians which (in my opinion) may be a contributing factor to the currents Tate of the team and he has been very successful in his tenure with Hockey Canada: 3x Olympic Gold, 5 consecutive World Junior Golds, 2004 World Cup and IIHF gold in 03 and 04. My only issue with all of that? it’s been a while, but he would be worth a conversation.
“Non-Traditional” AGMs From Winning Cultures
Some would point to a roadmap for finding the next great GM: an impressive apprenticeship for well run, winning organizations. If you are of the mind that avoiding the old boys club of recycled options is the best path, the below group of guys is for you.
Sunny Mehta is one of the primary architects of the current Florida regime, comes from an analytics background and was a professional poker player. He is largely considered the godfather of hockey analytics, getting his original start int he Devils organization. I like his skill set and he was a major part in finding hidden gems in a variety of distressed assets in Reinhardt, Forsling, and Verhaege. He also had a front row seat for the cultural impact of the Tkachuk trade and recognized his skill set vs Huberdeau’s, and Zito has said multiple times Mehta was instrumental in that trade. Also, a Jersey boy.
Kevin McDonald is the AGM in Colorado, and would certainly deserve a look considering their current success. He also spent 20 years with Blues where he has a cup ring from 2019 and as an AGM with Colorado, he works closely with General Manager Chris MacFarland on hockey-related matters. His main focus remains overseeing the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate and comes from a pro scouting and professional development background.
Capitals AGM Ross Mahoney interviewed in 2020 when they picked Fitz. Washington found a way to go from being a capped out group of aging veterans with no future to finding several gems in the draft, bought low on Canada’s starting goalie Logan Thompson and managed to set the Caps on a path to a retooled transition. As assistant general manager, Mahoney is responsible for the NHL Entry Draft, the club’s developmental programs, evaluations of opposing teams’ prospects, and oversees the organization’s amateur scouting staff. In Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, 12 players who were drafted during Mahoney’s tenure were in the lineup. (source)
Golden Knights AGM Andrew Lugerner is the guy who has managed their salary cap. Considering the magic tricks they have pulled off (see what I did there) with their cap and the downright ruthless nature of the Vegas front office, he would certainly be worth an interview.
Agents
One would only have to look at the success of Bill Zito in Florida and Kent Hughes in Montreal to consider agents as options and it’s not crazy to suggest that someone moving from one side of the negotiation table to the other would be in the consideration set. Agents have a unique perspective on the nuances behind player choices and motivations, particularly when it comes to contracts. They also scout and recruit players from a young age, and likely have very good eyes for the type of attitude that will translate to success in hockey. And maybe, just maybe, an agent can come in and understand NMC/NTC clauses a little better and how to leave yourself some outs if a contract doesn’t work out.
Agents are very difficult to find information on aside from client lists, and leaving and agency is complicated. However, Can one of them be lured to the other side of the table? Here are some of the biggest (and fun names) in that group with the amount of money they manage and some of their prominent clients (from puckpedia):
Judd Moldaver (Wasserman) – $428MM in contracts. Matthews, McDavid, Pesce, Werenski, Josi
Pat Brisson (CAA) – $1.4BN in contracts. MacKinnon, Crosby, Larkin, Jack, Luke, Quinn, Mercer
Dan Millstein (Gold Star) – $643MM in contracts. THE Russian Agent basically:. Kucherov, Vasilevskiy, Sorokin, Marchenko
Claude Lemieux (4Sports) – Yes, I snuck Pepe in here. $353MM in contracts. Timo, Seider, Eriksson Ek, Rasmus Anderson, Olofsson
Darren Ferris (Quartexx) – $333MM in contracts. Marner, Bennet, Kadri, Hall, Rodrigues, Byram
My Dream Team
So, after all that, My dream team for the top two chairs are…. Shanahan as POHO and Mehta as GM. I think bringing in someone like Shanny as a POHO to have a broader view of everything as well as a newly minted GM is the ideal scenario. One of the failures in the Fitz regime is having noone overseeing him as a new GM. This set-up allows Mehta to focus on building the team and overall structure, while Shanny can focus on the larger organizational issues. I know Sunny Mehta isn’t a unique thought, but there is a reason why several people think he should be next, his background and experience checks so many boxes for me.
But it doesn’t stop there. As I mentioned we need to clean house, so that would leave two AGM spots open and if we can’t lure someone from one of the above mentioned AGM chairs to make the lateral move, I think it would be wise to go try and lure the Tampa Bay Director of Player Development, JP Cole out of Tampa. The work he has done finding and developing players has been nothing short of astonishing, considering the injury woes Tampa has had the past few year, and the plug and play guys that have stepped into roles and thrived there.
As an AGM, I would also be interested in Judd Brackett, who is the head of Amateur Scouting for the Wild. Prior to the wild he spent 12 years in Vancouver, and his list of draftees is impressive: Rossi, Buium, Ohgren (basically the Quinn trade), and while in Vancouver he was front and center drafting Quinn, Boeser and Petterson. His main focus is prioritizing hockey IQ and skating, which have become two of the most valuable commodities in the current NHL.
Your Thoughts
Who do you like, anyone on this list strike you or anyone I didn’t mention that would be of interest? What’s your level of confidence a change at the top happens?
There is no right or wrong solution here, but this front office needs new eyes on it, and those eyes need to come from the outside since the organizational rot comes from the top.
LGD
