New Jersey Devils win general manager free agent frenzy.
Sunny Mehta was named Devils GM on Thursday evening. Mehta wanted devils. And the devils wanted him.
The stars aligned with it.
Mehta, an analytical guru, will bring a fresh perspective to the position left by former GM Tom Fitzgerald. Said approach begins immediately.
The Devils have a long list of things to address ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft and free agent frenzy.
So, where does he start?
Decision on Sheldon Keefe and coaching staff
First and foremost, Mehta will have to decide whether Sheldon Keefe will remain as head coach.
Keefe made a case for himself during the 2025–26 regular season with a healthy Jack Hughes in the lineup. New Jersey went 14-10-1 after the Olympic break. Before Hughes' injury, the Devils were 11–4–1. If you remove the sandwich from the season when Hughes was injured that's a combined 104-point pace.
Did he rely sufficiently on the powers of New Jersey? Certainly not when Hughes was out, nor when he was less than 100%.
The question becomes, can they get enough value from the rest of their roster if Hughes gets injured again in the future?
It depends on Mehta.
The rest of the coaching staff is also not in trouble. The power play and penalty kill were mediocre. The goaltender, namely Jacob Markstrom, was hit or miss – and most of the time, Markstrom missed.
Most, if not all, of the support staff were working on expiring contracts. Mehta will soon evaluate the work and decide whether to renew or not.
strengthen his cabinet
Mehta joins fellow assistant general managers Martin Brodeur, Dan MacKinnon and Kate Madigan.
It is unlikely that Brodeur—perhaps the most famous devil of all time—will be relieved of his duties. However, would Mehta want to surround himself with forward thinkers like him?
These are decisions that can come later. We know there are GM positions open in Nashville, Toronto, and as of this morning, Vancouver.
With only so many positions to fill, candidates can remain in their current roles, or look for something new if they wish.
Would Jamie Langenbrunner like to work for the organization he used to captain? How about Brett Pietersen? Does he want to continue working with Mehta after working together with the Florida Panthers?
If true change is going to happen, bringing in like-minded managers like Mehta will definitely turn things around.
Evaluate the scouting department
Fitzgerald has a poor track record in the draft.
They performed well alongside names like Luke Hughes, Lenny Haminaho and potential stud goaltender Mikhail Yegorov.
Simon Nemec is still in question as to his draft status, but it looks like this could work out. However, players like Logan Cooley and Cutter Gauthier—who had just scored 40 goals—were there for the taking. An argument can be made that he still misses out on the second overall pick in 2022.
And that's exactly it. A large number of upsets and misses by Fitzgerald in key draft positions, such as when he selected Alexander Holtz and Chase Stillman, have hurt today's roster.
What is depth scoring? Well, substitute Logan Stankoven for Stillman or Seth Jarvis for Holtz and maybe you'll find out.
Mehta needs scouts he can trust to find gems outside the first handful of players. And he knows how to find them himself, advocating for Jesper Bratt when the Devils drafted him in 2016, when Mehta was head of the analytics department.
Sort out the major pending free agents
The Devils have three major contract issues they can address this summer.
Two, they have no choice. Arseniy Gritsyuk is a pending restricted free-agent. He is another man who chose to come to the devils and the devils chose to have him. His first NHL season after making a name for himself in the KHL was spectacular. In fact, it got so good, even Jack Hughes sees it as an original part.
He loves New Jersey, and New Jersey loves him. This should be easy to solve.
Perhaps the namecheck will be a little more difficult to sort out. The 22-year-old defenseman took a step forward this season, but you can still see where he lacks.
Offensively, the touch is there. He scored 11 goals in 68 games this season and found a clutch level the Devils could use.
However, there are still questions over his play defensively. It is reported that he could start by asking for a contract similar to Luke. Sure, he won't be able to do that, but how far can Mehta bring down Namek and his camp?
And, of course, the captain needs a new deal on July 1, 2027. Does Mehta want to let that narrative continue for an entire season? Find out how far Hischier does or doesn't want to commit to New Jersey and that decision will be made as soon as possible. The longer this goes on, the worse it will be for the devils.
address dougie hamilton
And finally, Mehta will have to address the Dougie Hamilton situation.
The Devils defenseman has not spoken publicly since December 17, when speculation arose that he had rejected a trade, and then allegations of a trade being made public by his agent.
It was later confirmed that Hamilton declined a deal that would have sent him to the San Jose Sharks.
It seems quite clear that Hamilton is unhappy with the current situation. Can Mehta improve it?
Or, does it give him a reason to move out of the $9 million cap hit that will give him the flexibility he needs to be a top-six forward?
One thing is certain. Clarity is needed with Hamilton. Either he is staying or he is going. Any uncertainty will only increase tension.
