Fitz?

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Since I gave Lindy his own thread, I've decided to give Fitz his own too.

Like many of you, I've been following several pro sports leagues throughout the years, and I gotta admit, I've never seen a GM come up more minuscule in a crisis situation than Fitz has this season.  That's not to say I haven't seen my share of GMs who didn't do a good job or were proved to be incompetent, or sounded clueless when interviewed (more on that in a bit), or seemed flat-out indifferent or apathetic (former Met GM Sandy Alderson absolutely comes to mind, as far as "can't really be bothered" goes).

I've also seen GMs whose ability to do their jobs was compromised by meddlesome owners, or owners who either refused to give their GMs enough payroll to work with, or simply didn't have the funds.  That is absolutely NOT the case here...I know this Devils ownership isn't universally loved by any stretch, but it's very clear to me that whenever their GMs have wanted to spend, these guys have NOT prevented them from doing so, and that any lower past payrolls were more by GM design, in trying to preserve flexibility for spending later.

So back to Fitz...even when other GMs in this area had you believing that they'd be better off saying nothing, at least they were VISIBLE.  At least you KNEW that you could expect to hear from them at some point, no matter how bad things had gotten, or how much things didn't go according to plan.  To just continually be nowhere at all to be found, horrible loss after horrible loss...like everyone else, I'm just completely fvcking flabbergasted.  Like I've said elsewhere, it's not like whenever he finally comes out from hiding and dares to speak to the media, that I'm expecting everything he says to instantly put me at ease, but Jesus H, to be THIS M.I.A?!

And at this point, good god man, I'll go as far to say as what's being done to Lindy is almost unfair.  No, I don't think he's a good coach at all, and yes, it's time for him to be replaced (it was weeks ago), even if it's ultimately only by an interim-type for now.  But it's so blatantly clear to EVERYONE (fans and media and observers alike), on top of not being a good strategist or having much of an ability to make adjustments, the guy HAS CLEARLY LOST HIS fvckING TEAM!  Fitz, why are you making this guy continue to answer questions, loss after loss, that he clearly has no satisfactory responses to, on OR off the ice?  Why are you leaving this guy who so obviously is no longer cut out for this job to twist in the fvcking wind?!  He's NOT going to get the room back, EVER.  He's NOT the present and there's absolutely NO way that he'll be the future...how can EVERYONE fvcking see this except for you?!  If you really genuinely like and respect the dude, rip off the fvcking Band-Aid already and put him out of his damned misery and stop subjecting both him and his team to what's become a bottomless pit of pure sh!tshow, for everyone involved.

Until I see otherwise, man has Fitz been exposed as an absolute frontrunner.  Being that he figures to be here for a while, I really hope that this guy can take this season as a real learning experience (painful as it's been), and become that much better for it.  He's done enough good things here that I'd like to think that he can come out of this a lot wiser, and with the right coaching hire and a good move or two, can remind us all why we were so bullish on him prior to this trainwreck of a season.  I'm not ready to give up on him yet...but his stock has taken a hell of a hit for sure, and Step One to starting to build that back up is to STOP fvckING HIDING ALREADY!

As others have said:  your move Fitz.

Edited March 4 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Satans Hockey]

Sad how much a difference a year makes. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

3 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

Sad how much a difference a year makes. 

Really hoping it can go the other way next season, but Fitz has serious work to do to make that a possibility.

[Jerrydevil]

Sherry Ross called him PhanTom Fitzgerald on Twitter.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, Jerrydevil said:

Sherry Ross called him PhanTom Fitzgerald on Twitter.

I saw that...that's actually pretty funny.  But sadly true.

[Devilsfan118]

Yeah I guess the common theme from Friedman and others is that cost to acquire a goalie this year was too high - tough to speculate without any true inside info but I just cannot believe Fitz sat on his hands all year.

If he targeted Markstrom/Saros and the cost was prohibitive, then he needed to get creative and at least get an NHL replacement-level goaltender in here once it was clear VV/Schmid and, later on, Daws, wasn't getting it done.  To have done nothing and watched the season slip away in real-time is inexcusable.  

Likewise with the defense - Nemec has been a very pleasant surprise (and Luke hitting the rookie wall not so much, although not entirely unexpected) but it was clear that help was needed on the back end.  Smith/Miller/AHL plug are not good enough to even anchor a bottom pair, despite what Lindy thinks, and Dougie going down the entire season pushed reliable players like Siegs and Marino into positions that might not completely suit them.  Tanev was acquired for a B-level prospect and 2nd round pick - we couldn't have made that trade back in December?  We know Fitz was aware of the deal because we fvcking retained salary to help out...

And then the coaching... what else can be said.  He failed miserably letting Andrew Brunette get away to the Preds.  Young-ish guy, could've been this team's head coach for the next 5+ years.  Instead we're still somehow anchored to this dinosaur that has allowed terrible habits to develop.  The stick slamming from the Hughes brothers, the complete spineless, gutless play on the ice.. did I see that the team forgot to put an extra attacker on the ice last night when they pulled the goalie?  I mean come the fvck on.

In summary - I like what Fitz has done historically so far.  His trades and contract signings have been shrewd, drafting seems to be paying dividends, and personnel management (prior to this season) were on-point.  But this year has burned a whole lot of good will that he had built up with me personally.

Big trade deadline and offseason ahead.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

2 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

Yeah I guess the common theme from Friedman and others is that cost to acquire a goalie this year was too high - tough to speculate without any true inside info but I just cannot believe Fitz sat on his hands all year.

If he targeted Markstrom/Saros and the cost was prohibitive, then he needed to get creative and at least get an NHL replacement-level goaltender in here once it was clear VV/Schmid and, later on, Daws, wasn't getting it done.  To have done nothing and watched the season slip away in real-time is inexcusable.  

Likewise with the defense - Nemec has been a very pleasant surprise (and Luke hitting the rookie wall not so much, although not entirely unexpected) but it was clear that help was needed on the back end.  Smith/Miller/AHL plug are not good enough to even anchor a bottom pair, despite what Lindy thinks, and Dougie going down the entire season pushed reliable players like Siegs and Marino into positions that might not completely suit them.  Tanev was acquired for a B-level prospect and 2nd round pick - we couldn't have made that trade back in December?  We know Fitz was aware of the deal because we fvcking retained salary to help out...

And then the coaching... what else can be said.  He failed miserably letting Andrew Brunette get away to the Preds.  Young-ish guy, could've been this team's head coach for the next 5+ years.  Instead we're still somehow anchored to this dinosaur that has allowed terrible habits to develop.  The stick slamming from the Hughes brothers, the complete spineless, gutless play on the ice.. did I see that the team forgot to put an extra attacker on the ice last night when they pulled the goalie?  I mean come the fvck on.

In summary - I like what Fitz has done historically so far.  His trades and contract signings have been shrewd, drafting seems to be paying dividends, and personnel management (prior to this season) were on-point.  But this year has burned a whole lot of good will that he had built up with me personally.

Big trade deadline and offseason ahead.

In fairness to Fitz re the start of the season:  the D, he had Hamilton, Marino, Siegs, Bahl, and Luke, and dealt for Miller and even if I'm not a fan, Smith was still here as the 7th/fill-in guy (I would've rather he brought someone else in).  Also had Nemec waiting in the wings in case someone got hurt...of course, multiple defensemen wound up suffering injuries, and you can make the argument that Fitz either could've tried to bring someone in to at least solidify things once Siegs went down, or dared to give Hatakka more games to see if he could continue his solid start; of course, neither of these things happened.

Whenever Fitz decides that it's time to answer the slew of questions that are building up, I'd like to know why Smith seems to get the "ol' reliable vet" treatment, when he's been anything but (especially on D).  Damned near every D-partner that he's been forced upon has seen his game adversely affected by Smith's presence; how is this not addressed by both Lindy AND Fitz?

Re:  Brunette, as far as THAT goes, I wonder how "in tune" Fitz was, as to how much Brunette was driving last season's success?  If Fitz came to the ironclad conclusion that Brunette was indeed the key catalyst (despite overseeing a meh-ish power play), then yeah, you can make the argument that even though it would have been HIGHLY unorthodox, that he could have thanked Lindy for whatever contributions he'd made to the Devils, but then said "We're gonna go with Andrew here."  But of course that depends upon if Fitz truly believed that what happened last season was disproportionately due to Brunette.  I don't know what conclusions Fitz drew from last season's success.  

[NJDevils1214]

If the price for a goalie was too high and he didn't want to compromise the future then I get that. What I don't get, like many, is that you'd need to be blind to have not seen the team sliding all year. It wasn't just injuries and bad goaltending, either. Nothing happened. Nothing changed. Just kept doing the same things and expected different results.

I've mentioned before that two seasons ago this team had atrocious goaltending and needed 7 goalies or something to get through the season... But they looked good. That team could transition like no one's business and score on the rush like some of the top offensively skilled teams in the league; just couldn't get a save to save their lives.

Does this team look like that one? Just can't get a save? I don't think so. I think they look lost. They've looked completely lost all season. Rock bottom looked inevitable since December and I am shocked Fitz did nothing to stop it. I can't believe whatever was holding him back was worth losing the entire season.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

10 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said:

If the price for a goalie was too high and he didn't want to compromise the future then I get that. What I don't get, like many, is that you'd need to be blind to have not seen the team sliding all year. It wasn't just injuries and bad goaltending, either. Nothing happened. Nothing changed. Just kept doing the same things and expected different results.

I've mentioned before that two seasons ago this team had atrocious goaltending and needed 7 goalies or something to get through the season... But they looked good. That team could transition like no one's business and score on the rush like some of the top offensively skilled teams in the league; just couldn't get a save to save their lives.

Does this team look like that one? Just can't get a save? I don't think so. I think they look lost. They've looked completely lost all season. Rock bottom looked inevitable since December and I am shocked Fitz did nothing to stop it. I can't believe whatever was holding him back was worth losing the entire season.

Yeah that narrative that it's ALL goaltending that's been the issue here has never been accurate.  The team did appear to be righting itself when they went 14-6-2 (at the time that made their record 22-15-3), but there's been multiple times since that screamed for (at the very least) a coaching change, and if that appeared to help with the insane amount of opponents' open looks but the goalies were still struggling, then yeah, I would get REALLY going hard after a goalie, as long as the price didn't get completely ludicrous.

It's the doing NOTHING AT ALL approach that I don't get.  Especially from a guy who has shown the ability to be aggressive AND creative since taking on the job.  The season itself isn't a total loss mostly because of Luke and Nemec gaining much-needed experience, but this season had no business being punted without trying SOMETHING.   

[Jerrydevil]

35 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

There's been multiple times since that screamed for (at the very least) a coaching change.   

Kinda hard to argue against that. The stuff with the Devils reporter pushed me over the edge.

[aylbert]

I don’t want a bipolar GM…  you can’t back a guy so strongly and change your tune when things get tough.

But when times were good last year, he was front and center with his plan.   We are absolutely a dumpster fire currently and there is no leadership for the fan base.  

Your coach deflects, and there is no public accountability.  You have players and media dissing deficiencies in the team.  Like Joker in Batman, we just need to hear the plan.  We are publicly aimless.   

If it’s we failed this year because of injuries but will try to compete, but looking more at next season… so be it.   We need a leader with a plan and the ability to pivot.  Losing Dougie early really hurt this team, and then we lost a bunch of forwards with the season seemingly on pause for Jack to come back to do Jack things.  When Jack failed to carry the team by himself, we imploded. 

[Lateralous]

1 hour ago, NJDevils1214 said:

If the price for a goalie was too high and he didn't want to compromise the future then I get that. What I don't get, like many, is that you'd need to be blind to have not seen the team sliding all year. It wasn't just injuries and bad goaltending, either. Nothing happened. Nothing changed. Just kept doing the same things and expected different results.

I've mentioned before that two seasons ago this team had atrocious goaltending and needed 7 goalies or something to get through the season... But they looked good. That team could transition like no one's business and score on the rush like some of the top offensively skilled teams in the league; just couldn't get a save to save their lives.

Does this team look like that one? Just can't get a save? I don't think so. I think they look lost. They've looked completely lost all season. Rock bottom looked inevitable since December and I am shocked Fitz did nothing to stop it. I can't believe whatever was holding him back was worth losing the entire season.

Perfect summary of how I feel about this season but expressed way better than I could have done.     

[nessus]

I've given Fitzgerald the benefit of the doubt for most of this season. When you look objectively at it, almost nothing has gone his way. It starts with key injuries to Dougie, Jack, and Meier - and I'm not sure any of these three guys is at 100% yet. He bet on his goalies, which was reasonable at the time, but has backfired tremendously. He really couldn't let Ruff go after last season's success, only to have this guy totally lose the team. Meanwhile Brunette is making the most of a mediocre roster elsewhere. All three of Bahl, Marino, and Siegenthaler have noticeably regressed, which leaves 2 rookies to pick up the slack of those three + Dougie's absence + Smith's poor play + losses of Severson and Graves.

All of this, with the exception of maybe the Ruff/Brunette situation, is just a combination of misfortunes that I can't fully blame on Fitz. And I'll even cut him some slack on not getting a goaltender. The price just seems too high right now, and it is so rare for a starting goaltender to be traded mid-season. I think this is more likely to be addressed in the offseason at this point.

But what is so baffling about this season is how he has not made a coaching change. As @Colorado Rockies 1976 mentioned, you can get on Ruff's case all you want, but at some point, it all falls on the guy keeping him employed. We all want to point to goaltending as the problem with the team, but @NJDevils1214 is right - it is so much more than that. There's nothing that is working right now. The offense is not clicking. The defense has been bad. The power play completely fell off a cliff when Jack got hurt, and they could not find a way to adjust. Goaltending of course has been trash. Ruff's roster management has been bad. How on earth are you going to go back to Daws against the Kings after what happened against the Ducks? Second time in a row that Schmid comes in for relief and does not let a goal in. How does this guy continue to play Smith over Miller, who at least looks competent out there? He won't try Meier at RW. He hates Holtz for no reason, who has done a lot with the junk minutes and linemates he gets. I'm trying to think of what Ruff has done well this season and it's so tough. Maybe giving Luke and Nemec every opportunity to succeed? There's just very little that Ruff has going for him now, and I don't know how Fitz has not done anything about it.

The only explanation I have is that Fitz doesn't like the options available now - both for coaching and for goaltending. He may not have a serviceable interm coach option, and wants to have a thorough recruiting process for the coaching staff when there's time in the offseason. The same goes for goaltending. I can see him making the decision that this season will not end in playoffs, so he should sell off Toffoli, and acquire an asset or two to build a package for a goalie in the offseason. The Ullmark/Swayman situation in Boston is reminiscent of the Luongo/Schneider situation in Vancouver from 2013. The Devils got Schneider for the 9th overall pick back then. They're at 12 from the bottom right now, so they definitely could put a package together for one of those guys. I'll give it until the offseason, but Fitz really needs to start making moves.

[capo]

Fitz is going to hang his hat on injuries and say Ruff didn't have a fair shake this year.

[Satans Hockey]

3 minutes ago, capo said:

Fitz is going to hang his hat on injuries and say Ruff didn't have a fair shake this year.

My biggest issue with that excuse is the team looked like before injuries, during injuries and after we got everyone back from injury besides Dougie. The team has just been off all season. 

[smelly]

17 minutes ago, nessus said:

I've given Fitzgerald the benefit of the doubt for most of this season. When you look objectively at it, almost nothing has gone his way. It starts with key injuries to Dougie, Jack, and Meier - and I'm not sure any of these three guys is at 100% yet. He bet on his goalies, which was reasonable at the time, but has backfired tremendously. He really couldn't let Ruff go after last season's success, only to have this guy totally lose the team. Meanwhile Brunette is making the most of a mediocre roster elsewhere. All three of Bahl, Marino, and Siegenthaler have noticeably regressed, which leaves 2 rookies to pick up the slack of those three + Dougie's absence + Smith's poor play + losses of Severson and Graves.

All of this, with the exception of maybe the Ruff/Brunette situation, is just a combination of misfortunes that I can't fully blame on Fitz. And I'll even cut him some slack on not getting a goaltender. The price just seems too high right now, and it is so rare for a starting goaltender to be traded mid-season. I think this is more likely to be addressed in the offseason at this point.

But what is so baffling about this season is how he has not made a coaching change. As @Colorado Rockies 1976 mentioned, you can get on Ruff's case all you want, but at some point, it all falls on the guy keeping him employed. We all want to point to goaltending as the problem with the team, but @NJDevils1214 is right - it is so much more than that. There's nothing that is working right now. The offense is not clicking. The defense has been bad. The power play completely fell off a cliff when Jack got hurt, and they could not find a way to adjust. Goaltending of course has been trash. Ruff's roster management has been bad. How on earth are you going to go back to Daws against the Kings after what happened against the Ducks? Second time in a row that Schmid comes in for relief and does not let a goal in. How does this guy continue to play Smith over Miller, who at least looks competent out there? He won't try Meier at RW. He hates Holtz for no reason, who has done a lot with the junk minutes and linemates he gets. I'm trying to think of what Ruff has done well this season and it's so tough. Maybe giving Luke and Nemec every opportunity to succeed? There's just very little that Ruff has going for him now, and I don't know how Fitz has not done anything about it.

The only explanation I have is that Fitz doesn't like the options available now - both for coaching and for goaltending. He may not have a serviceable interm coach option, and wants to have a thorough recruiting process for the coaching staff when there's time in the offseason. The same goes for goaltending. I can see him making the decision that this season will not end in playoffs, so he should sell off Toffoli, and acquire an asset or two to build a package for a goalie in the offseason. The Ullmark/Swayman situation in Boston is reminiscent of the Luongo/Schneider situation in Vancouver from 2013. The Devils got Schneider for the 9th overall pick back then. They're at 12 from the bottom right now, so they definitely could put a package together for one of those guys. I'll give it until the offseason, but Fitz really needs to start making moves.

Ullmark is definitely an offseason option, but he has some very clear drawbacks that are IMO why Fitz has to date targeted Markstrom instead. 
 

Most importantly, Ullmark has only one year left on his deal. So if you go that route Fitz has to be committed in advance to signing him to a multi year deal that in both dollars and term will almost certainly exceed what remains on Markstrom’s contract. So he would have to be willing to sacrifice years of flexibility and cap space to go that route. Acquiring Ullmark without planning to extend him is a nonstarter, since it would not be an efficient use of the assets traded or solve the problem in any permanent way. 
 

If this is the route you have to go (trade for and immediately extend a G), I think you look at Saros first. 
 

Swayman would be perfect, but I don’t see how Boston chooses to move him instead of Ullmark. 

[NJDevils1214]

Also, to add to the sh!t list, like @Lateralous said on the MacDermid thread this guy was just brought in because they get pushed around so much(especially against the Rags). Why did it take until February? It was obvious last season the team needed someone like that.

[njbuff]

Maybe ownership should step up and fire Fitz?

It’s been that bad.

[nmigliore]

Don't disagree with anything here.

We all want Lindy gone... but we all know who is responsible for that decision and a LOT more that is impacting where this team stands.

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 hour ago, njbuff said:

Maybe ownership should step up and fire Fitz?

It’s been that bad.

They literally JUST signed him to an extension, not to mention gave him a promotion (with a new title to prove it). 

I'm angry and frustrated with him too, but he's going to get at least this offseason and all of next season to get this thing righted.  And he absolutely needs to prove that he's capable of that...as well as not tank seasons where Plan A falls apart, as far as future seasons go.  No more punting after this season.

[Puckbuster]

1 hour ago, smelly said:

Ullmark is definitely an offseason option, but he has some very clear drawbacks that are IMO why Fitz has to date targeted Markstrom instead. 
 

Most importantly, Ullmark has only one year left on his deal. So if you go that route Fitz has to be committed in advance to signing him to a multi year deal that in both dollars and term will almost certainly exceed what remains on Markstrom’s contract. So he would have to be willing to sacrifice years of flexibility and cap space to go that route. Acquiring Ullmark without planning to extend him is a nonstarter, since it would not be an efficient use of the assets traded or solve the problem in any permanent way. 
 

If this is the route you have to go (trade for and immediately extend a G), I think you look at Saros first. 
 

Swayman would be perfect, but I don’t see how Boston chooses to move him instead of Ullmark. 

Swayman is the best choice, but I doubt the Bruins part ways.  Ullmark is good.  I would like to see Saros as a Devil over Ullmark.  I I’m not sure who is available, but I would be happy with any of the three.

[nmigliore]

Ullmark and Saros are very similar - they have identical remaining cap hits ($5M AAV thru 2024-25) and will require big extensions after next season. Over the last 3 seasons Ullmark has been better on a per-minute basis, plus won a Vezina last year, but Saros is a couple years younger and has played nearly 40 more games in that timeframe. I'd simply take whichever comes cheaper in a trade, although I think Ullmark is probably better. It's also harder to see Nashville moving Saros right now since they're flaming hot (8 wins in a row) and sit 7 points up on Calgary and St. Louis for a playoff spot. 

But I do like Markstrom more than either; he's obviously the oldest but has been better than both this season, comes with an extra year of control at a similar cap hit ($6M AAV thru 2025-26) and would cost the least in a trade.

Edited March 4 by nmigliore

[capo]

2 hours ago, Satans Hockey said:

My biggest issue with that excuse is the team looked like before injuries, during injuries and after we got everyone back from injury besides Dougie. The team has just been off all season. 

I don't disagree but he loves Lindy like a father.  He must owe him something.  

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

35 minutes ago, nmigliore said:

Ullmark and Saros are very similar - they have identical remaining cap hits ($5M AAV thru 2024-25) and will require big extensions after next season. Over the last 3 seasons Ullmark has been better on a per-minute basis, plus won a Vezina last year, but Saros is a couple years younger and has played nearly 40 more games in that timeframe. I'd simply take whichever comes cheaper in a trade, although I think Ullmark is probably better. It's also harder to see Nashville moving Saros right now since they're flaming hot (8 wins in a row) and sit 7 points up on Calgary and St. Louis for a playoff spot. 

But I do like Markstrom more than either; he's obviously the oldest but has been better than both this season, comes with an extra year of control at a similar cap hit ($6M AAV thru 2025-26) and would cost the least in a trade.

I can't make a huge deal out of the bolded; we know how it goes with goalies.  Ullmark and/or Saros could easily be better than Markstrom next season.  Markstrom makes some sense if Fitz believes that he's already got someone who should be ready to take the job once Markstrom's deal expires (Malek?  Brennan?), or has his eye on someone in the draft that he thinks will be a fast-track developer, though goalies usually take time to blossom.

I would love to see Fitz swing a deal for Ullmark or Saros...but obviously gonna cost in terms of assets and term.  Gonna have to accept that going in.

EDIT:  I just looked up Ullmark's numbers, and he's basically had one monster year (2022-23 of course).  He's not a major workhorse (48 starts is his career high, set last season) and this year he's being outplayed by his teammate.  He may not cost quite as much as we think.  

Edited March 4 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[nmigliore]

50 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I can't make a huge deal out of the bolded; we know how it goes with goalies.  Ullmark and/or Saros could easily be better than Markstrom next season.  Markstrom makes some sense if Fitz believes that he's already got someone who should be ready to take the job once Markstrom's deal expires (Malek?  Brennan?), or has his eye on someone in the draft that he thinks will be a fast-track developer, though goalies usually take time to blossom.

I would love to see Fitz swing a deal for Ullmark or Saros...but obviously gonna cost in terms of assets and term.  Gonna have to accept that going in.

EDIT:  I just looked up Ullmark's numbers, and he's basically had one monster year (2022-23 of course).  He's not a major workhorse (48 starts is his career high, set last season) and this year he's being outplayed by his teammate.  He may not cost quite as much as we think.  

I can't disagree there, I'm a firm believer that goalies are voodoo and nobody should be surprised if one outperforms the other next season, especially with an environment/team change. I do think all three are GOOD goalies and you'll just have to accept whatever variance throws at you. It really comes down to cost which is where I assume Markstrom wins here based on age. Or maybe I'm completely wrong... only Fitz truly knows the assets being asked for these guys. But I do believe if you're getting Saros or Ullmark, you're pretty much all-in next season and/or taking a big cap hit the following seasons via an extension. At least with Markstrom you could argue that you're getting a two season all-in window without being forced to commit to a big dollar extension (let's say $7M to 8M+ AAV) for future years.

Goalies are just a pain in the ass.

Edited March 4 by nmigliore