On Thursday afternoon, New Jersey Devils President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald and Head Coach Sheldon Keefe spoke with reporters at 11:00 a.m. at Prudential Center. The conference can be viewed on the team's YouTube page.
This will conclude the Devils' end-of-season media availability. The players conducted their exit interviews on May 1st, which can be viewed on the team's official website.
Media Availability Quick Hits
- When asked about his team's performance after the Christmas break, Keefe said his team showed an inability to sustain their game.
- Keefe felt his team had an average season: "We finished 16th out of 32 teams. That is average, and we are not here to be average."
Key Takeaways
Kovacevic Update
Fitzgerald confirmed that defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic had successful surgery on Thursday. The 27-year-old, who sustained a knee injury, will not be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season.
The blueliner signed a five-year contract worth $20,000,000 on March 7 to remain in New Jersey.
Bratt Underwent Surgery
On May 5, the Devils announced that Jesper Bratt has decided to undergo shoulder surgery.
"It is something he has been dealing with for multiple seasons, quite honestly," Fitzgerald said. "His shoulder vs. Jack (Hughes') shoulder last season is different. You can play with what (Jesper) has; Timo did for years. [...] Typically, at the end of the year, he gets an MRI on the shoulder to see where it is at. In the past, it wasn't getting any worse; here, they found the joint itself was a little bit worse, and Jesper just made the decision to go ahead and do the surgery.
"He will be ready for training camp," he continued. "He will be 100 percent. It was his choice, and we supported that."
Pending Free Agents
The Devils' roster will undergo changes between now and when training camp opens in September.
"We won't be coming back with the same group," Fitzgerald said. "Because it was just not good enough."
Unrestricted Free Agents
New Jersey has the following pending unrestricted free agents: Jake Allen, Nathan Bastian, Dennis Cholowski, Justin Dowling, Brian Dumoulin, Curtis Lazar, Daniel Sprong, and Tomas Tatar.
Fitzgerald said he will speak to Allen's agent about the 34-year-old's future. The Devils were happy with their tandem of Allen and Jacob Markstrom.
Restricted Free Agents
Luke Hughes, Cody Glass, and Nolan Foote are the team's restricted free agents.
The Hockey News has been in contact with Hughes' agent, Pat Brisson, regarding an update on the youngster's contract extension. Leading up to Thursday, Brisson said there was nothing to report. Fitzgerald did not provide any additional insight into negotiations.
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