Fitzgerald 'working the phones daily' as Hamilton, Palat trade rumors swirl

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — With trade rumors swirling around the underachieving New Jersey Devils, general manager Tom Fitzgerald said Wednesday he is making regular phone calls to improve the team.

Defenseman Dougie Hamilton and winger Ondrej Palat are two of the established players most mentioned in those talks. And while Fitzgerald did not want to get into specifics of discussions with counterparts around the NHL, he made clear he’s “working the phones daily” with the trade deadline now less than two months away.

“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.”