Devils new GM Mehta fired up to deliver Cup title for hometown team

Welcome to the NHL Chat Room, NHL.com's weekly Q&A feature where we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. This week, we feature New Jersey Devils general manager Sunny Mehta, who was hired April 16 after six seasons with the Florida Panthers, including the past three as assistant GM and director of analytics. He helped Florida win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and 2025.

NEWARK, N.J. – Sunny Mehta understands the difference between reasonable expectations and championship ambition. In his first season as general manager of the New Jersey Devils, emotion wins out. 

"Any step that we take from last year is going to be considered a 'success,'" Mehta told NHL.com. "But I guarantee you that unless we win a Stanley Cup, no matter what happens, I'm probably going to be disappointed."

Mehta said measuring success only by whether the Devils win the Cup may be unfair. Improvement could come in different forms, from returning to the playoffs to establishing the consistency necessary to become an annual contender. New Jersey has failed to qualify for the playoffs 11 times in the past 14 seasons, including last season when it finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division.

"I realize (wanting nothing more than a Stanley Cup) is irrational," Mehta said. "But that's just the difference between rationality and emotion."

That emotion is understandable for a New Jersey native who grew up watching the Devils and witnessed the franchise win its three Stanley Cup championships. He grew up in nearby Totowa, N.J., and played hockey at Ramapo High School.

The position also represents a homecoming as he previously spent four seasons as the Devils' director of hockey analytics, working under Lou Lamoriello and Ray Shero, before joining Florida's front office. 

After experiencing championship success in Florida, he's not hiding the ultimate standard he has brought back to New Jersey.

Mehta spoke to NHL.com in a wide-ranging interview, including expectations, the balance between patience and urgency to win now, coach Sheldon Keefe, and working with Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur.

Where do you think the strength lies on this roster?

"Our strength is our depth, and I don’t mean only the players who aren't in the lineup. I mean top to bottom, from our 12 forwards to our six defensemen. We have a lot of offensive firepower, skill and hockey sense throughout the lineup. I was talking to Connor Brown about how much he has enjoyed playing with Amadeus Lombardi. I told him, 'We don’t really have a fourth line this year. We kind of have two first lines and two second lines.' Our so-called bottom two lines could be top-six lines on other teams. Last season, this was a very good team when Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier was on the ice, but not nearly as good when they weren’t. Instead of simply finding better fourth-line players, the goal was to add second line-caliber players and shift everyone accordingly. That depth should make us a much stronger team."

What do you wish the identity of the Devils to be?

"I’m not a big believer that a team must have one particular style to win. Florida had a clear identity because that style made sense for its players and coach. But the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings all won championships playing different styles. Your identity should fit the players you have. Looking at our roster, we should be a fast, skilled and intelligent team. We want to use our skating aggressively, both with and without the puck. Luke Hughes made a play in the scrimmage (on Sept. 18) where he used his feet in the neutral zone to kill a play without possessing the puck. That is a good example. Speed and skill do not apply only to creating offense. They can also be used to close space, disrupt plays and regain possession. That is probably the stylistic identity that best fits this group."

What parts of Florida's championship-building process translate here, and what must be different?

"The biggest difference is the players. Jack Hughes plays differently than Aleksander Barkov. Nico Hischier has some similarities to Barkov but is unique, and Matthew Tkachuk is different from all of them. Every core has its own strengths. The similarity is that when we arrived in Florida, we already had important pieces such as Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aaron Ekblad and Sergei Bobrovsky. Here, we also have strong core players in Jack, Nico and Jesper Bratt. The challenge is surrounding them with enough good players to build a complete team. You must identify talent, manage the salary cap efficiently and find players on good contracts. Florida hit home runs with players such as Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaeghe. That also required some luck. Our additions of Lombardi, Declan Chisholm, Luke Evangelista and Anthony Mantha reflect a similar process, even if the eventual playing style is different."

When you evaluate Sheldon Keefe, what matters beyond wins and losses?

"A lot of things matter. Sheldon is a very smart coach in how he sees the game from an X’s-and-O’s standpoint. He also understands what I need to do as general manager, and I understand what he needs to do as coach. When I arrived, I explained what I saw as the team’s strengths and weaknesses and the types of players I wanted to add. There was no real disagreement or pushback. We talked through the plan, and it made sense to him. It works the same way in reverse when Sheldon discusses systems or on-ice decisions. His explanations are logical, and we generally see things similarly. It's still early. I didn't know Sheldon before taking this job and we have worked together for only a few months, much of that during the summer. But so far, the communication has been easy, and he has been very good to work with."

How do you balance patience with young players against the urgency to win now?

"There isn't one right answer, but it is something we must constantly consider. Management often has more patience than coaches because coaches are judged on wins and losses and naturally live in the present. Sheldon is different because he also understands the long-term view. Take Amadeus Lombardi. He hasn’t played an NHL game, but Sheldon understands that to win in the long run, we sometimes must take chances on players with upside who are still developing. At the same time, you have to put young players in positions to succeed. You cannot fill the entire lineup with developing players because the team may lose, and those players can develop bad habits. They need to be insulated by established NHL players. We’re fortunate to have a roster that allows us to give young players opportunities while still surrounding them with enough experience and talent to compete. That puts us in a good middle ground."

How do you build around center Jack Hughes without becoming overly dependent on him?

"Jack’s health was not the reason we focused on improving the roster around him. Even in games he played last season, there was a significant difference between how the team performed when he was on the ice and when he was on the bench. We needed to strengthen the rest of the lineup around Jack and Nico regardless of their health. Depth can help mitigate injuries, but every team becomes significantly worse when it loses its best players. There is only so much you can control regarding injuries. My focus is making sure that when we are healthy and operating at our best, we have a really, really good team. That means being effective when Jack and Nico are on the ice but also remaining strong during the portions of games when they are not. If improved depth also helps us withstand an injury, that is an additional benefit. But the primary goal was to become less dependent on our top players every night."

What will determine whether your goaltending plan is successful?

"There are objective measures such as save percentage and wins, but this is also about allocating resources in a salary-cap league. Money spent in goal cannot be spent somewhere else. Goaltending has changed dramatically during the past 20 years. Starters and backups are extremely talented, which can make performance difficult to predict. Because there is randomness at the position, I’m reluctant to invest significant assets there instead of in areas where the results may be more predictable. We’re fortunate to have Jake Allen. He's an excellent goalie, a consummate professional and on a very good contract. Trading Jacob Markstrom (to the Panthers on July 2) was not about believing he couldn’t bounce back. He could help Florida win, and that’s OK. The move made sense for where the two organizations are. It allowed us to reallocate resources, bring a fresh approach to the position and create a path for Nico Daws to show what he can do."

You grew up a fan of the Devils. What has it been like working with Devils executive vice president of hockey operations Martin Brodeur on a day-to-day basis?

"It has been great. It's definitely surreal to work with someone I watched for so many years and held in such high regard as a Devils fan. But anyone who knows Marty understands why the transition has been so easy. He's easygoing, humble and very easy to get along with. Despite everything he accomplished in his career and everything he means to this organization, he makes working together feel natural. Because of the kind of person he is, the relationship has been seamless."