New jersey Devils hire Sunny Mehta as GM

The New Jersey Devils announced Thursday that they have hired Sunny Mehta as their new general manager.

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

“This is a dream come true for a New Jersey kid, who grew up watching Devils’ practices just 20 minutes away in Totowa,” said Mehta. “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. Thank you to Vinnie Viola, Bill Zito and the entire Florida Panthers organization for a fantastic six years and for the opportunity to take the next step in my professional career. 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.”

Mehta spent the last six seasons with the Florida Panthers. He joined the Panthers in 2020 as vice president of hockey strategy & intelligence. He was later promoted to assistant general manager and was part of the management group that helped deliver back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025.

Growing up in nearby Totowa, N.J., he was a fixture at Devils practices as a child. He eventually pioneered the first full-time analytics department in the NHL when the Devils hired him as Director of Hockey Analytics in 2014.

Mehta replaces Tom Fitzgerald, who was fired on April 6 after the Devils failed to qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.