Devils' performance 'absolutely not good enough,' GM Fitzgerald says

NEWARK, N.J. -- Tom Fitzgerald said he knows the New Jersey Devils are not living up to expectations and their play is "not good enough," but the general manager expressed confidence the Devils can turn it around and qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

New Jersey began the season 13-4-1 but is 10-17-1 since and enters Wednesday sixth in the Metropolitan Division and five points out of the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

"This is on me. Where we're at right now is on me," Fitzgerald said Wednesday. "I'm one to take accountability on myself. ... It's a lot better when you're winning hockey games. This is on me.

"I will say we are a collaborative organization and we're all in this together. One thing I'm trying to do is to find solutions to help this organization move forward to become the team we believe we can be. The standards and the expectations, they've been set by everybody in this organization, starting with me and starting with our team."

On Nov. 15, the Devils ranked ninth in the NHL in goals per game (3.28), 13th in goals against per game (2.89) and fifth on both the power play (25.5 percent) and penalty kill (84.9 percent).

Since then, they are last in the League in goals per game (2.18), 24th in goals against per game (3.25), 25th on the power play (16.4 percent) and last on the penalty kill (70.8 percent).

"Consistency, lack of consistency is something that happens in sports," Fitzgerald said. "We're just trying to figure out how to get by that, and how can I help with that? But we're all in this together, my group. I'm the leader of the group and this isn't good enough. It's absolutely not good enough.

"We're not meeting the standard and expectations we've set, this organization has set. I feel for the fans. I really do. They're used to Stanley Cup championship teams. … Anything less is unacceptable."

Fitzgerald said New Jersey has been actively looking to improve the roster, although it has been a challenge, especially with the standings as tight as they are. He also said he doesn't believe shaking up the team's core, which includes captain Nico Hischier and forwards Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier, among others, is necessary.

"I believe in the core," he said. "We as an organization believe in this core. We've seen them at the top of their game, and we all like it. I'm excited to see this team as a whole right now and where we can take it.

"It takes two to tango, and trying to find the right deals to help add to this team is important. There's no excuses, but every team feels they can make the playoffs. ... I believe in this group. And for the fans, I know how passionate they are, and I know how desperate they want a champion. I'm trying to continue to do what I set out to do, and that's to build a contender."

Among the moves that didn't take place were acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes -- brother of Jack Hughes and Devils defenseman Luke Hughes -- from the Vancouver Canucks before he was traded to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12.

"I don't want to speculate how close we came," Fitzgerald said. "I can just tell you: Of course we were interested in Quinn Hughes' service. But I can't speculate on what they (the Canucks) got and what they wanted from us. I can't comment on it."

The Devils have dealt with injuries, including to Jack Hughes, who missed 18 games with a hand injury from Nov. 15-Dec. 19; the team went 8-10-0 in his absence. Forward Evgenii Dadonov has been limited to seven games because of injuries and forward Stefan Noesen is out with a knee injury. Defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, Simon Nemec and Brett Pesce also have missed time.

Still, New Jersey remains in the playoff hunt entering their game against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; KHN/Prime, MSGSN, KONG).

"I know what 'Fitzy' believes," Hischier said. "I know he believes in us and our job is to do that on the ice and give back to that belief he gives to us."

Fitzgerald also expressed confidence in coach Sheldon Keefe, saying "absolutely" he and the rest of the coaching staff did not have to worry about their jobs.

"'Fitzy' hired me, he brought me here, showed the confidence to bring me here," Keefe said after the Devils' morning skate Wednesday. "My job every day is to make the group work. So I want to know his vision, I want to know his thoughts are and make sure that we are on the same page with that and he gives me lots of freedom to do things the way that I want or how I see them.

It's been a challenging stretch here for us, without question, but it's not my first challenge as a coach and I have got lots of confidence we're going to find our way but can only do it one day at a time."

Fitzgerald has been New Jersey's general manager since January 2020. The Devils have qualified for the playoffs in two of the six seasons since, never advancing past the second round. The Devils finished 42-33-7 last season, in third place in the Metropolitan, before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the Eastern Conference First Round.

"The reality is, there's still plenty of runway for this group to come together and them looking at me to help pull things together," Fitzgerald said. "… I'm very confident in where I've taken this team to and how we've built through the core and added the pieces we wanted to add to become a contender every year.

"The passion I have for New Jersey, the Devils, ownership and more important the fans, I love this. I love New Jersey. It's been my home for the past 10 years, 11 years. I do think I can be the one to help move this organization forward, and the goal has never changed.

"We know what winning hockey looks like. We've just got to consistently do it, and that's been the message from me to Sheldon, his assistant coaches. It's just not good enough. It has to get better."