Devils hire Panthers executive Mehta as GM

The New Jersey Devils hired Sunny Mehta as their general manager Thursday.

Mehta, 48, had worked in the Florida Panthers' front office since 2020 and helped them win the past two Stanley Cups as an assistant general manger and head of analytics.

Mehta, who played high school hockey growing up in New Jersey, broke into the NHL working with the Devils from 2014 to 2018 as the director of hockey analytics. Mehta also has had stints as a professional poker player and derivatives trader.

This is the only move the Devils are expected to make at this time, and Mehta will be in charge of all hockey operations decisions, sources said. The rest of the department and the coaching staff will remain under evaluation, including head coach Sheldon Keefe.

"This is a dream come true for a New Jersey kid, who grew up watching Devils' practices just 20 minutes away in Totowa," Mehta said. "New Jersey has a tremendous young core that will be looking to get back to being a contender, a complement of young assets and draft picks, and a passionate fan base hungry for success. I was fortunate enough to watch the New Jersey Devils raise three Stanley Cups and am excited to get to work to return to that level."

Mehta replaces Tom Fitzgerald, who was ousted earlier this month after the Devils missed the playoffs. Fitzgerald is currently a candidate for the Nashville Predators' general manager position.

The Devils have top-end talent, highlighted by Jack Hughes, brother Luke Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Simon Nemec, plus a big decision to make on whether to offer captain Nico Hischier a contract extension. The Devils will have $12.18 million in projected in salary cap space this summer, according to PuckPedia.