Cohesiveness vital for New Jersey’s new front office
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: The New Jersey Devils front office lacked collaboration according to some and that rift was a problem. Tom Fitzgerald and Martin Brodeur run the Devils now. Few expected this.
For the next several months, what they do will shape this Devils team down the road. Brodeur eyes the President Of Hockey Ops job in several months (perhaps over Tom Fitzgerald). CEO Scott O’Neill expects to conduct an expansive search.
Fitzgerald represents the strongest candidate because he has the inside track. How he performs over the next four months or so will give management an idea of how wide their search is.
“I need to completely piece that together. Obviously, I knew a lot of it, but how deep down were those discussions, that’s what I’m trying to get to,’’ Fitzgerald said.
Now, those talks he had with Shero, he will have with Martin Brodeur.
Some candidates to replace former general manager Ray Shero
Craig Custance of The Athletic: Initially, there exists a short-list to take over permanently for Ray Shero. Let’s take a look.
The obvious possibility features Tom Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald enjoys the ability to audition first for this job. Also, he has a trade deadline and several more months after to show management what he can do.
Martin Brodeur presents the nostalgic candidate but again, most think he does not want the job. Ron Hextall may garner an interview but do not expect much more than that.
Mike Gillis taking on a role in the Devils’ organization remains possible. Could he become the general manager? Maybe. Bill Zito comes in with the peace that his wife is doing well. He was the front runner for the Seattle job before his wife became ill. Zito remains one of the best “outside the organization” candidates.
However, Laurence Gilman feels like the most intriguing choice. He is Toronto’s assistant general manager and has seen it all. Gilman merges analytics with the eye test better than anyone. He enjoys the versatility of rebuilding and retooling depending on the situation.
Stay tuned as this search will go in several directions before a permanent general manager is named.