The Seattle Kraken and New Jersey Devils have pulled off a front-office crossover that nobody really saw coming, even if it’s not a direct trade between the two clubs.
On Wednesday, New Jersey announced Jessica Campbell as its player development manager. Seattle, meanwhile, brought in Chuck Fletcher for the same role. The twist is that each of them most recently worked for the other team’s organization.
The two moves are linked by the April dismissal of Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald. When Fitzgerald was fired, Fletcher was let go too, and new Devils GM Sunny Mehta had to start filling holes in the staff, including prospect development.
Campbell arrives with a notable résumé. Over the past two seasons, she served as a Kraken assistant coach and became the first female behind-the-bench NHL assistant. Her coaching approach has been described as holistic, and the Devils are expecting her to work on the growth of draft picks and young players with fellow new hire Bryan McCabe.
“According to the team,” reported CTV News, “she will focus on the advancement of the team’s draft picks and young players alongside fellow new hire Bryan McCabe.”
One independent read on the hire came from Pucks and Pitchforks, which argued that New Jersey’s development process has fallen short and pointed to Campbell’s people-first style.
“The Devils’ development process has not been working, as high-profile prospects did not turn into effective NHL players. (Campbell) is focused on the player as a person, adjusting her style based on who she is working with. One might argue that’s actually better for development than it is for coaching.”
Campbell departed the Kraken in April when her contract expired, and the move was likely influenced by first-year head coach Lane Lambert not having the same level of trust in her that Dan Bylsma had.
Fletcher’s path to Seattle comes with plenty of front-office mileage. His official title with the Kraken is “Senior Advisor” to Botterill.
He, Botterill, and new assistant GM Patrik Allvin all worked together in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ front office. Allvin had been general manager of the Vancouver Canucks until April.
Before this latest stop, Fletcher spent nine seasons as GM of the Minnesota Wild and more than four years as GM of the Philadelphia Flyers. He also worked as assistant GM in Florida, Anaheim, and Pittsburgh. Fletcher is 59 and the son of Cliff Fletcher, the longtime executive who was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2004.
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