Even though the New Jersey Devils’ season is about to finish on Monday, general manager Tom Fitzgerald still has work ahead of him.
The general manager of the Devils disclosed that he is presently attempting to re-sign Devils enforcer Kurtis MacDermid during Monday’s MSG pregame show.
The Devils general manager stated, “I’m trying to re-sign Kurtis MacDermid right now.” He’s been a vital member of our team, in my opinion, and he’s helped these kids and other players feel much more at ease on the rink. It is a feature of hockey. enhancing the qualities that make up our core to support our team as we move forward.
The Devils had a significant decline in 2023–24 following their 2022–2023 season as a dominant team.
Along the way, Fitzgerald acquired forward Zakhar Bardakov and enforcer MacDermid from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a seventh-round choice in the 2024 NHL Draft that was previously obtained from Nashville.
In this case, let’s be honest. The purpose of acquiring MacDermid was singular.
to impose.
And he has, particularly while facing the New York Rangers, a rival team.
By now the story is told quite adequately. Matt Rempe, a forward for the Rangers, went a little crazy against the Devils, giving both Nathan Bastian and Jonas Siegenthaler illegal checks. Furthermore, it appears that the former hasn’t fully recovered from his altercation with Rempe.
On April 3rd at Madison Square Garden, MacDermid and Rempe engaged in a line-brawl that resulted in 166 penalty minutes between the two teams by the end of regulation.
According to Fitzgerald, MacDermid has improved the comfort level of his key players, which has discouraged opponents from taking chances against players like Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes.
Looking back on the 2023–24 campaign, it appears that injuries had a part in the season’s collapse. It appears that the plan is for a returning MacDermid to virtually definitely assist the Devils in absorbing less hits from the opponent, which should result in less bumps and bruises.
Furthermore, the Metropolitan Division needs to be concerned about more than only Rempe. Nicolas Deslauriers plays for the Philadelphia Flyers, while Mathieu Olivier plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In general, Fitzgerald seems to want to make sure the Devils aren’t treated unfairly like they once were.
Having MacDermid around will most likely assist keep it from occurring.
MacDermid is now in the last year of a $1.975 million, two-year contract. In 44 games this season between the Avalanche and Devils, MacDermid recorded two goals and one assist.
This season, MacDermid also racked up 50 penalty minutes and five fighting majors.
