The New Jersey Devils' Misleading Start Could Spark Change From GM Sunny Mehta

While it's hard to be overly concerned with a 5-4-0 record, the New Jersey Devils' start to the season is more than a little misleading.

Three of those wins have come against less than impressive teams – the Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings.

Their other wins were a 7-1 romp over a young goalie in Dylan Garand and the New York Rangers who was due for a stinker, and a narrow victory over the Colorado Avalanche, who are in a slump of their own.

In their four losses this year, the Devils have been thoroughly trounced, getting outscored 19-6. That speaks to the lopsided efforts New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe has gotten out of his players. And there are other stats that bear out how disappointing the Devils have been.

New Jersey's offense has been mid-tier, ranking 13th in the NHL at an average of 3.13 goals-for per game. But the Devils' defense has been considerably worse, ranking 22nd at an average of 3.38 goals-against per game. 

Perhaps most importantly, New Jersey's goaltending – one of their biggest question marks heading into the season – has been sub-par. In six appearances, starter Jake Allen has posted an .883 save percentage and a 3.18 goals-against average, while backup Nico Daws has a .857 SP and a 3.38 GAA.

These are numbers that should set off alarms in the office of first-year GM Sunny Mehta. His job coming into the season was always going to be tough, but it could be even more difficult to get the Devils on the right track.

Mehta has basically no salary cap space, but he does have four first-round draft picks. The question is, does he spend one or more of them to try and be competitive this season, or does he try and rebuild the roster – with, say, a current Minnesota Wild superstar defenseman as a foundational component for a new generation?

It might be too early to have these conversations, and we doubt that Mehta – a renowned elite poker player – is going to show his hand.

In any case, the Devils' roller-coaster start to the year is making them even more intriguing. Mehta has seen them play approximately 10 percent of the season, and he can't be pleased with much of what he's watched out of them.

Whether trades, a coach firing, or both are coming remains to be seen. But New Jersey’s start has been far from encouraging, and that almost certainly means change is on the way.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. 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.