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The New Jersey Devils named Sunny Mehta as the sixth general manager in franchise history. The move brings a two-time Stanley Cup-winning executive to the organization. He arrives as the team looks to rebound from a disappointing season and reestablish itself as a contender.

Mehta comes to the Devils from six seasons with the Florida Panthers. His tenure included three seasons as assistant general manager and head of analytics. He played a key role in building a Panthers roster that captured back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025. Mehta’s experience in player evaluation, roster construction and data-driven decision-making played a major part in Florida’s sustained success.

For Mehta, the Devils appointment brings him home. Mehta grew up in Wyckoff and then played high school hockey at Ramapo. He also began his NHL front-office career with the Devils, helping to build one of the league’s first full-time analytics departments.

Now, after several years away, he returns to lead the organization he once helped shape.

“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. “After meeting with David Blitzer, Josh Harris, Bob Myers, and other members of the organization, I knew this was the place I wanted to be.”

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He added: “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.”

Time for a turnaround

The Devils are coming off a difficult 2025–26 campaign in which they missed the playoffs, falling short of expectations.

Mehta is tasked with leading a turnaround built around a talented young core, led by Jack Hughes. The standout player delivered a generational moment earlier this year. Hughes clinched the overtime “golden goal” to lift Team USA to Olympic gold at the winter games.

Mehta replaces Tom Fitzgerald. The team dismissed the former GM earlier this month after more than five seasons leading hockey operations.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Sunny and his wife, Nicole, back home to New Jersey,” said Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Managing Partner David Blitzer. “We quickly realized this job was in high demand and were incredibly fortunate to meet with many qualified candidates.”

Nothing but blue skies and Sunny days ahead.

Jersey, we brought Sunny home.

📰: https://t.co/wpT2ELjjhg pic.twitter.com/OqtxOnMgNL

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 16, 2026

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Blitzer added: “Sunny’s familiarity with our organization and experience with a two-time Stanley Cup-winning team are characteristics that will serve as a foundation for future success. Our expectations are to be a perennial playoff team and compete for the Stanley Cup, and I look forward to Sunny leading us there.”