Devils GM: We're in the goalie market, not shopping Toffoli
New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald shed some light Tuesday on his strategy ahead of Friday's trade deadline.
Fitzgerald confirmed he's looking to upgrade in the crease.
"I am in the market (for a goaltender)," he told reporters Tuesday. "Is there the right person out there for the right price without mortgaging the future, but understanding the short game here, it's an important position ... Our goaltending has not been good enough. Yes, that's on me to go out and try to upgrade, but it's not (easy)."
The GM also explained where he stands with the Devils' leading goal producer this season.
"I'm not shopping Tyler Toffoli," Fitzgerald said. "Tyler and I sat together in L.A., we had a great talk. Tyler knows how much I'd like to bring him back, but unfortunately right now, there's a possible term difference (in contract talks). That doesn't mean we can't revisit this past the deadline, if he's still here, or in the offseason.
"But the reality is, teams have called on him, and (based on) what a return looks like, I wouldn't (want to) be giving away my leading scorer, that's for sure, just to gain future assets. But ... those future assets could help us down the road."
The Devils entered Tuesday with the second-worst all-situations save percentage in the NHL (.882) and the third-worst mark at five-on-five (.901) this season. Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws, and Akira Schmid have all struggled in goal for New Jersey, with save percentages under .900 in all situations.
New Jersey has reportedly been in talks with the Calgary Flames about acquiring netminder Jacob Markstrom, who recently expressed disappointment about how his current club has handled his situation.
Toffoli is a pending unrestricted free agent carrying a $4.25-million cap hit. The winger came into Tuesday leading the Devils with 26 goals over 60 games in 2023-24.
The Devils fired head coach Lindy Ruff on Monday night, naming associate coach Travis Green his interim replacement. New Jersey came into Tuesday's action with a 30-27-4 record. The club occupies sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, sitting eight points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot with two games in hand.