The Nashville Predators and the Toronto Maple Leafs have emerged as teams that could sweep away Florida Panthers assistant GMs Brett Peterson and Sunny Mehta.
Florida Panthers assistant GMs Brett Peterson and Sunny Mehta are reportedly drawing interest around the NHL for several available GM jobs.
The Panthers are considered the model of success at the moment. With three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearances, including two wins, the Panthers’ style of play and operations have received plenty of praise. The Panthers have been able to acquire high-end players and sign them afterwards.
So it’s no surprise that teams are interested in bringing Peterson and Mehta into their organizations as general managers.
On Saturday, Sportsnet’s NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that Peterson has garnered interest from the Nashville Predators, and Mehta has been discussed for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ vacant role.
Barry Trotz, the current Predators GM, will step down once he finds a suitable candidate. The Predators have reportedly begun interviewing several candidates from around the NHL.
Peterson is expected to be a strong candidate to land the Predators’ job, and even if he doesn’t, he will likely see interest from other teams.
Peterson is set to manage Team USA’s Men’s World Championship roster in 2026. If the Americans perform well and the roster he builds succeeds, his chances of landing a GM role will increase drastically.
As for Mehta and the Maple Leafs, the fit makes a lot of sense, and Friedman believes Mehta will be a factor in the process.
“He’s been kind of discussed this week, Sunny Mehta, one of the assistant general managers of the Florida Panthers,” mentioned Friedman. “I do think he’s going to be a factor.”
Friedman had previously discussed the firing of Brad Treliving and the opinions of MLSE CEO Keith Pelley. Pelley believes the Maple Leafs aren’t using all their resources to the best of their ability.
The Maple Leafs have one of, if not the biggest, analytics departments in the NHL, but under Treliving, Pelley believes they were underutilized.
This is where Mehta would likely come in. Mehta began working as an analyst for the New Jersey Devils in 2014, before joining the Panthers in 2021. After two seasons, Mehta was promoted to assistant GM and director of analytics.
With the Panthers success under Mehta and his impact on the analytics department, it’s easy to see why the Maple Leafs would be interested in Mehta’s services.
Panthers GM Bill Zito has built a strong relationship with Mehta and Peterson, but the pair of assistant GMs would likely love the opportunity to run their own NHL front offices.
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