The New Jersey Devils bring back Sunny Mehta, who served as their director of hockey analytics between 2014 and 2018. The data-driven executive has also been a professional musician and poker player.
The New Jersey Devils hired Sunny Mehta as their new GM, they announced Thursday.
New Jersey hired Mehta less than two weeks after parting with Tom Fitzgerald on April 6.
Mehta, 48, returns to the Devils organization he helped transform from 2014-15 to 2017-18 as the director of hockey analytics. He helped establish the NHL's first full-time analytics department, the team said in its announcement.
"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 in the announcement.
In 2021-22, the Florida Panthers hired Mehta as vice-president of hockey strategy and intelligence.
He then became an assistant GM and head of analytics for the Panthers in 2023-24. After that promotion, the Panthers won back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Mehta has a fairly interesting background as a data scientist, a former professional poker player and a musician.
In fact, he was once a senior data scientist at Zeus Analytics, where he consulted for six MLB teams, the Washington Capitals and the Arizona Coyotes.
What's Next For The Devils Now?
Now joining the Devils as the de facto head of hockey operations, Mehta will look to steer the ship back on course.
New Jersey finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division after making the playoffs last year. This is the second time in three years that the Devils have not appeared in the post-season.
Mehta doesn't have many notable UFAs to deal with this off-season. However, he may have to get creative in constructing his roster because of the contracts Fitzgerald left behind.
Beginning next season, New Jersey has 13 players with some sort of trade protection, five of whom are defensemen under contract for at least the next two years.
There's also 22-year-old blueliner Simon Nemec, who's a pending RFA.
After falling from 16th to 21st in the NHL standings over the past two years, Mehta will also have a decision to make regarding coach Sheldon Keefe, who's been behind New Jersey's bench for both seasons.
Mehta is the sixth GM in Devils history. The others are Fitzgerald, Ray Shero, Lou Lamoriello, Max McNab and Bill MacMillan.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.