4 Takeaways From Devils' Fitzgerald & Green Press Conferences

Travis Green and Tom Fitzgerald had some interesting things to say about the New Jersey Devils in their end-of-season media avails.

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The New Jersey Devils closed out clean-out days yesterday with media availabilities from interim head coach Travis Green and general manager Tom Fitzgerald. Both had interesting things to say, so let's get right into it. 

Immaturity & Accountability Were Big Themes

Immaturity was a big theme in Green and Fitzgerald's pressers yesterday. Both mentioned it a few times when talking to reporters, and it wasn't just about on-ice performance. It was about how the team treats things off the ice, too. 

Among what Green and Fitzgerald said was that the team needs to learn how to win games 1-0, 2-1, etc. They can't rely on outscoring teams to win every game and it's OK to win games 1-0, 2-1 if you have to. They have to be harder to play against, and that's something that comes with maturity. 

Something Fitzgerald touched upon is putting in the work off the ice, too. Come into the weight room, doing what you need to do off the ice and showing the commitment you need to do what it takes to win.

Both Green and Fitzgerald talked about conditioning, and I can't help but wonder if that was related to the team's struggles in the second halves of back-to-backs. If I had to guess, that'll be a point of emphasis for some players during their offseason training regiments. 

It was also interesting that Fitzgerald suggested that he was too lenient with some things he may not be lenient with moving forward. His exact words were, "To be honest, I may have let my guard down on some areas that do not matter...the looser you get, and it may be just the dress code with people...the potential of keeping people accountable that way, I can do a way better job. I think that'll help create an everyday professional player."

Based on what Green and Fitzgerald said, they're looking for a young team to mature to take the next step forward, but they were also preaching accountability. Fitzgerald specifically mentioned he likes that Green is a no-nonsense coach, so perhaps that's something he's looking for in whoever takes over behind the bench. 

Fitzgerald Wants New Devils Coach Before Draft

Speaking of the next coach, when asked by Ryan Novozinsky what the plan is for the coaching search, Fitzgerald said he'd like to have a new coach in place before the draft, which is nine weeks away from this weekend.