This was going to be a Twitter thread, but it became too long and unwieldy. Let me go ahead and jump right into it, then.
I hate that Keith Yandle might have been right when he said NJDevils are not making the playoffs. That the winning streak was an anomaly (more or less), that what you saw during the winning streak was a farce, a poser team—boys playing with men.
While many of us wanted to believe that this was the actual package, MOST of the people I followed were cautiously optimistic-myself included. Ten years of a shit product on ice will condition you to be this way. It's not me, NJ Devils; it's always been you.
Let’s target the whole Fire/Thank Ruff, the elephant in the room. We all know what needs to be done, but our GM wants to be risk-free by not doing a thing. He's not getting the help this team needs, he's not doing anything with coaching, and basically, no one knows what he is doing. He reminds me of NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who disappeared during a cold storm.
Thus, I am tired of putting this all on Ruff when Fitzpatrick has been a no-show throughout his tenure. He hasn't brought in anything worth a damn.
Let’s look at every move Fitzpatrick has made, shall we?
Non-move, Greene was done and whatever we got was whatever. Verdict: NEUTRAL
Another late trade in the season, but we got dick for Coleman, who went on to win Stanley Cup with Tampa and has been a force for any team that has him. Foote?
Verdict: NEGATIVE
We didn’t get dick for Simmonds, but I will retain this as NEUTRAL; Simmonds is/was at the end of his career. Verdict: NEUTRAL.
Another NEUTRAL.
Sami Vatanen was acquired from the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Fredrik Claesson, forward prospect Janne Kuokkanen and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. I am being too kind calling this NEUTRAL because none of these prospects, including the fourth-round pick (Jaromir Pytlick), is worth a damn.
Does anyone even remember Ryan Murray? I don’t. I mean, I do, but I don’t. NEUTRAL at best.
Another NEUTRAL since none of these went on to do anything special.
We should have signed Palmieri, but we got a bag of hockey pucks. Verdict: NEGATIVE.
We finally got something positive. But I will be cautious here as the sampler is not that big, and I am starting to see massive holes in Siengenthaler’s game. But let’s rule this a POSITIVE because look what we gave up for him.
Kulikov to Edmonton for 2022 4th round pick (EDM - #126 - who became Charlie Leddy). Kulikov did squat here with only two apples in 38 games. He did well for the Wild, though, with 7 goals and 17 assists in 80 games, even contributing in the playoffs. Tired of being generous to Fitz, this was a cheap defenseman better than half of our defense roster. Verdict: NEGATIVE.
This one will be controversial as many love Graves - I don’t. He’s one-dimensional, makes too many mistakes on the blue line, and has a hockey sense of a 13-year-old hormonal teenager. Because Maltsev is not doing squat and Behrens is too young to make a call, I will give this a NEUTRAL.
Jaros for Merkley is another NEUTRAL. As is the poor goaltender who’s not going anywhere, Job Gillies. (NEUTRAL). Leaving Schnarr for Hammond in the same NEUTRAL category.
This brings us to his latest signing, and they are okay. Picking up Vanecek was a good move, if only in comparison to Blackwood - which the organization cringed on for too long. But I don’t think this kid is starter caliber. We got him for peanuts, so that’s a POSITIVE ruling. John Marion for Ty Smith? Yes, please. Another POSITIVE. Zacha for Haula looked like a win for us, and I am not giving that one to Fitz, though. So will end it on a NEUTRAL.
So what’s the tally?
Neutral: 12
Negative: 3
Positive: 3
In almost three years, Fitzpatrick has been here; this is his report card.
I know that not all will agree with my decisions above, but they are close, no? And thus, I ask you, my dear New Jersey Devils fans, is this a good General Manager? Is this what this organization deserves? He made 12 blah trades, and Negatives tie with the Positives? Yes, he signed Palat (hoping he will be a contributing factor when he gets off IR) and Hamilton (9 million is a lot of money to say no to), but he also whiffed on many we SHOULD have signed, like DeBricant and even Gaudreau.
HIRING Lindy Ruff was a wrong decision; leaving him here for this long (and yes, that winning streak fucked up the whole perception of his coaching abilities) is another failure. Let’s lay the blame at the feet of someone who deserves it. One that’s making moves (or just sitting on his ass).
We shouldn’t be chanting FIRE RUFF, exclusively, but FIRE FITZ (has a better ring to it as well).