Over five years ago Tom Fitzgerald was named Interim general manager of the New Jersey Devils. About seven months later, he was named full-time general manager of the team. Last fall, we went back and took a look at every trade Fitzgerald has made in his tenure. Now, let’s take a look back at every contract the now sixth-year general manager has given out and grade them.

Part II of the series will be released on Thursday, August 14.

Note, this series will only cover players with an average annual value (AAV) of over $1 million on their contract. This means no entry-level deals or two-way contracts.

2020-21

Corey Crawford – Two years, $3.9 million AAV

What a way to start it out. Veteran goaltender Corey Crawford was signed to partner Mackenzie Blackwood in net, only to announce his retirement just days into training camp. The move came at a shock to both Devils’ fans and the Devils’ organization who then had to rely on a combination of Scott Wedgewood, Aaron Dell, and Eric Comrie to back-up Blackwood. This one isn’t getting a grade.

Grade: Inc.

Dmitry Kulikov – One year, $1.15 million AAV

Time to discuss the first player that was given a contract that actually played a game. It’s two-time cup champ Dmitry Kulikov! Kulikov was brought in as a depth defenseman to help sure up a fairly weak blueline and did well in that regard. 

Kulikov didn’t produce much of anything offensively, but was a solid presence on the backend before being flipped for a mid-round draft pick. Nothing too crazy here, but definitely can’t say Fitzgerald didn’t get positive value with this one.

Grade: B+

Mackenzie Blackwood – Three years, $2.8 million AAV

Blackwood looked like the Devils’ goalie of the future after having a .916 save percentage through the first 70 games of his career. It seemed as if Fitzgerald got the young netminder on a solid deal for the foreseeable future. However, injuries piled up for Blackwood and his performance massively dropped off. 

The Devils flipped him to the San Jose Sharks as a restricted free agent after the 2022-23 season for a sixth-round pick where Blackwood was able to revitalize his career. In terms of the duration of the deal however, it wasn’t the best move, but certainly wasn’t the worst.

Grade: C

Sami Vatanen – One year, $2 million AAV

This seemed like another slam dunk at the time, but turned out just to be middling for the Devils. Sami Vatanen was a solid offensive defenseman in New Jersey for parts of three seasons before being traded to Carolina at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline. When Fitzgerald was able to bring him back to New Jersey late in the following offseason, fans were elated. However, Vatanen didn’t quite deliver the same punch in 2021, scoring just six points in 30 games before being placed on waivers and claimed by the Dallas Stars.

Grade: C

Jesper Bratt – Two years, $2.75 million AAV

Jesper Bratt got a late start to the 2021 season after signing this contract deep into training camp. After scoring nearly a career-high 30 points in just 46 games, Bratt broke out in year two of the contract leading the team in points with 73 in 76 games. Bratt has improved on those numbers every year since becoming one of the NHL’s most electric players. In terms of the two years on this deal though, it’s easy to say it’s awesome value.

Grade: A+

2021-22

Jonas Siegenthaler – Two years, $1.125 million AAV

Jonas Siegenthaler was a bit of a buy-low option at the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline for the Devils. We didn’t get to see much of him that season which allowed Fitzgerald to lock him up on a cheap deal. Over those next two years, Jonas Siegenthaler would flourish from a depth player to one of the best defensive defenseman in the NHL. An easy A-plus for this one.

Grade: A+

Jonathan Bernier – 2 years, $4.125 Million AAV

Jonathan Bernier was one of the better goalie options on the market in the 2021 offseason, so with the Devils holding a plethora of cap space it only made sense for them to go after him. Bernier was solid for New Jersey in 10 games with the team before going down with injury. He would not return and retire following the expiration of his contract. An unfortunate outcome for the Devils, but Bernier still provided some value for the team.

Grade: Inc.

Dougie Hamilton – Seven years, $9 million AAV

Giving this contract a grade this high may be controversial to some, but Dougie Hamilton has quietly been great for the Devils. Even with the injuries, and his defensive game falling off, Hamilton has produced. His 0.78 points per game since 2022-23 is 12th in the NHL among defenseman in that span.

Even if you aren’t a fan of his on ice product though, Dougie did something that nobody had ever done before. As the top free agent on the market, he chose New Jersey. This was the move that put Fitzgerald and the Devils on the map and showed that they were a place top guys wanted to go.

Grade: B+

Yegor Sharangovich – Two years, $2 million AAV

After a promising rookie season, Sharangovich inked a very team-friendly bridge deal. The Belarusian forward had an even better sophomore season, before falling off in year three with a diminished role. Sharangovich was shipped off to Calgary as part of the Tyler Toffoli trade in 2023.

Grade: B-

Tomas Tatar – Two years, $4.5 million AAV

After a three-season stretch in Montreal where Tatar averaged 62 points per 82 games, expectations were high for the Slovak winger. While his first season in the red and black left much to be desired, Tatar thrived in a top-six role in 2022-23. During the regular season, the then 32-year-old forward played an elite two-way game next to Nico Hischier. He finished the year with a team high plus-41 rating and garnered Selke votes for the first time in his career (one third-place and one fifth-place vote). 

Unfortunately, Tatar’s play in the postseason was not up to par. However, he still played a big role on a special Devils team.

Grade: B+

Janne Kuokkanen – 2 years, $1.825 Million AAV

After an impressive rookie season where Kuokkanen finished fifth among rookies in assists and eighth in points, he was rewarded with a nice bridge deal. Unlike his rookie linemate Sharangovich, Kuokkanen did not improve in year two and found himself bought out and playing overseas just a year later. The only thing that saves this deal is that it was cheap.

Grade: C-

Jack Hughes – Eight years, $8 million AAV

Not much needs to be said about this one. Jack Hughes has one of the best value contracts not just on the team, but in the entire NHL. This was even confirmed in Dom Luszczyszyn of the Athletic in one of his recent articles where he named the Hughes’ deal as the best in the league.

Over the first 3 years of his contract Jack has 243 points in 202 games. He’s tied for the 11th highest points per game in that span. Of those 11 players Jack has the lowest AAV on his contract by far. Easy A+.

Grade: A+