The New Jersey Devils have entered the “Mehtaverse” after hiring Sunny Mehta as the team’s new general manager. The former Florida Panthers assistant GM now gets his first crack as the head man in charge.
It’s also a homecoming for Mehta, who grew up in Wycoff, NJ, and was the team’s head of analytics from 2014-18. Now, eight years later, he gets the opportunity to be the GM of the team he grew up watching.
In a statement from the Devils, Mehta expressed his excitement about returning to New Jersey.
“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.
The Devils’ new head of the front office also shared his enthusiasm for the team he is taking over. “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.”
Mehta Brings Unique Experience to Devils’ Front Office
In addition to his experience working in several National Hockey League front offices, the 48-year-old has built quite a resume. He studied Jazz Guitar and Studio at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Mehta graduated in 2000 and later received his master’s degree in data science from City University of New York.
After college Mehta spent time as a professional musician in New Orleans. While accomplishing that, he also became a well-known poker player in Las Vegas. He used what he learned to go on and publish two books on poker strategy. Those books are titled: Professional No-Limit Hold ‘Em, Volume 1 (2009) and Small Stakes No-Limit Hold ‘Em (2007).
Mehta takes over a Devils organization that has made the playoffs just three times in the last decade. While he has an assortment of high-end talent like Jack Hughes at his disposal, he’ll also have to answer some tough questions. Will he keep Sheldon Keefe as head coach? Can he extend captain Nico Hischier long-term? And what will the Devils do about Simon Nemec?
Mehta will have to retool a roster that was near dead last in goals per game. The bottom six need better depth, and they need a top-six scoring winger to pair with Hughes. It will also be interesting to see how the goaltending will look next season.
While there’s a lot of work to do, the Devils hit a home run with bringing in Mehta as their new GM.
There’s been some dark days in the state. However, now with Mehta, there’s a belief of hope and optimism. It may not be long before it’s always “Sunny” in New Jersey.
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