The Athletic has live coverage of the NHL trade deadline.
In: Maxim Tsyplakov, Nick Bjugstad
Out: Ondřej Palát, 2026 third-round pick, 2027 sixth-round pick, Thomas Bordeleau, 2026 fourth-round pick, Luke Glendening (waivers to Philadelphia)
Grade: D+
The Devils didn’t change much at the deadline. Dougie Hamilton stayed, as did Šimon Nemec, who found himself in rumors as the deadline neared. Palát was the biggest subtraction New Jersey made from its lineup, but that happened more than a month ago. The team also lost depth center Luke Glendening to waivers, with the Flyers claiming him Friday. Fitzgerald also put Maxim Tsyplakov and Evgenii Dadonov on waivers, though both cleared.
Fitzgerald added Bjugstad before the Olympic roster freeze. He’s a depth center but doesn’t radically change the way the lineup looks. The Devils essentially acknowledged that they are not a playoff contender this deadline and did not add significant pieces. Perhaps more surprisingly, they also didn’t subtract from the roster. Center Cody Glass, under contract for another season at $2.5 million average annual value, felt like a potential candidate to move given the high prices centers fetched this deadline. But Fitzgerald clearly did not get any offers he felt warranted a trade.
The Devils had high expectations this season and have come up short. Moving Palát cleared up cap space and was likely the right move with how the season was going, but New Jersey had to give up picks to make the deal happen. The Bjugstad addition is marginal.
The Devils didn’t have a lot to sell this deadline, but the team’s record and lack of moves made it hard to give them a higher grade. — Peter Baugh
What the GM said
Fitzgerald said he was surprised by the lack of movement on the trade market.
“I just think there were a lot of teams not willing to move pieces because they’re in a playoff spot or teams didn’t want to move pieces, being out of a playoff spot, because they believe in those players and want to give it another go,” Fitzgerald said.
The Devils fall in the latter category. Fitzgerald said he still believes in his group and doesn’t want to blow it up.
Hamilton remained on Chris Johnston’s trade board, but Fitzgerald said, “I did not have Dougie Hamilton’s name out there.”
“Did I get calls from a couple teams assuming I had Dougie’s name out there? Yeah,” he said. “But Dougie’s played extremely well for us. He’s a really good player. When we’re playing well, he’s usually playing well. … There was no shopping or putting him out there on the market to see what I could get.”
The Devils also listened on Nemec, the 2022 No. 2 draft pick. He’s a pending restricted free agent.
“We have seven NHL everyday players on our back end,” Fitzgerald said. “Trying to shake one of those loose here in the offseason will be my goal, maybe to give us some help up front. Maybe a top-six winger or something.”
Asked if he’s gotten any assurances about his job security beyond this season, Fitzgerald said he and owner David Blitzer are “in sync.”