In the end, Tom Fitzgerald waited far too long to fire his beleaguered head coach for it to make an impact on the team’s current situation, and that only makes sense. The Devils general manager has, after all, has waited this entire season and still hasn’t done anything to fix his broken team.
Lindy Ruff lost his job because of the Devils’ limitations. Fitzgerald, meanwhile, is armed with a fresh contract extension that he signed just a month and a half ago. Maybe he deserved that vote of confidence after the team reached the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs a year ago, but few executives in recent pro sports history have forfeited the good will of a fanbase quicker than him.