Devils GM is 'working the phones daily' as Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat trade rumors swirl

“These are two respected players,” Fitzgerald said at a wide-ranging roundtable with reporters. "They’re very respected in that locker room, and they will be treated with respect.”

Hamilton, whose $9 million salary cap hit is tied for the most on the team, was a healthy scratch Sunday at Winnipeg when Johnathan Kovacevic returned from injury to make his season debut. Fitzgerald insisted coach Sheldon Keefe has “carte blanche on the lineup” and called it solely a personnel decision that was performance-based.

“His agent and I have been in constant communication, so there’s no secrets,” Fitzgerald said. "There’s no lost in translation, whatever it is. Just want to make sure everybody’s hearing the same message.”

Agent J.P. Barry in a text message agreed with that assertion, saying there were no problems with Fitzgerald.

Hamilton, who has two seasons left on his contract beyond this one and a list of 10 teams he can be traded to without his permission, returned to the lineup Monday and had two assists in a 5-2 victory at Minnesota. The 32-year-old has 12 points in 41 games.

“Dougie’s here,” Fitzgerald said, no-commenting a report that Hamilton declined to waive his no-trade clause to go to San Jose last summer. “He played really well that night, and when he plays his best hockey we’re a good team because he can add to that.”

Keefe said the situation Hamilton is going through is very unique but downplayed any sort of concern about outside noise affecting the locker room.

“Things kind of blew up a little bit outside of that,” Keefe said. "But inside our walls, I knew what the message was to Dougie and that’s really all that I’m focused on.”

Palat, who's signed through next season at a $6 million cap hit, scored twice to beat the Wild and end New Jersey's skid at four games. A back-to-back Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay in 2020 and '21, Palat at 34 years old has seen his role shrink and has 10 points in 46 games while averaging under 13 minutes of ice time.

“Ondrej, he’s a great pro, and he cares and he really wants to push and help," Fitzgerald said. “Our players admire him. No, his production isn’t where anybody envisioned it. But it was more the person, the experience to come in to help our young guys understand what winning looks like from his experience.”

The Devils sat 13th in the 16-team Eastern Conference through 46 games. Fitzgerald repeatedly took responsibility and accountability, saying, “This is on me.”

Captain Nico Hischier said: “I know what Fitzy believes, and I know he believes in us. Our job is to do it on the ice and give something back to that belief in us.”

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe's job is safe

Fitzgerald said he and Keefe, who is in his second season with the club after a long stint with Toronto, were “in lockstep,” when asked about the coach's job security. The rest of Keefe's staff is also not in jeopardy, according to Fitzgerald.

“He gives me lots of freedom to do things the way that I want or how I see them, but it’s all done obviously with the vision of the team and how it’s built in mind,” Keefe said. “It’s been a challenging stretch here for us, without question, but it’s not my first challenge as a coach and I’ve got lots of confidence we’re going to find our way.”

Fitzgerald's job is also believed to be safe, and he said he regularly speaks with owner David Blitzer and others in the upper echelon of the organization.

“I’m very confident in where I’ve taken this team to and how we’ve built through the core and added the pieces we wanted to add to become a contender every year," Fitzgerald said. “I do think I can be the one to help move this organization forward.”

Contracts did not prevent Devils from landing Quinn Hughes

Because Jack and Luke Hughes are franchise cornerstones for the Devils, that made them a logical landing spot when Vancouver made eldest brother Quinn — one of the league's top defensemen — available for trade. Jack and Quinn acknowledged in September they'd like to play together in the NHL some day.

That's not happening now, as Minnesota anted up to get Quinn from the Canucks in a blockbuster deal in December.

Fitzgerald refuted reports that current contracts with trade protection in place prevented New Jersey from making that move for the 2024 Norris Trophy winner.

“Not true,” Fitzgerald said. "There’s always other pieces that probably could’ve gone out the door to make it work but not true.”

The Devils' equivalent of the Wild giving up center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick might have cut into their high-end talent too much to make it happen. Quinn Hughes is only signed through next season and can become a free agent July 1, 2027.

“When you look at some of those players and the ages they’re at, those kids are on our team,” Fitzgerald said. "These aren’t prospects. They’re starting. Maybe that’s a couple years earlier, but I can’t speculate on what type of players went to Minnesota versus what players we have.”

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