The New Jersey Devils have found their new general manager, naming Sunny Mehta to the position on Thursday night.
The 48-year-old Mehta, who was believed to be in the running for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ vacant GM job as well, is coming off a six year run with the Florida Panthers, including serving as the team’s assistant general manager and head of analytics for the last three.
Nothing but blue skies and Sunny days ahead.
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 16, 2026
Jersey, we brought Sunny home.
📰: https://t.co/wpT2ELjjhg pic.twitter.com/OqtxOnMgNL
Mehta replaces Tom Fitzgerald, who was fired earlier this month, and will become the sixth general manager in franchise history.
Mehta grew up in Wyckoff, 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,” said Mehta in a statement. “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 helped build Florida’s Stanley Cup teams in 2024 and 2025.
Mehta, an expert in statistical analysis, was originally hired by the Devils in 2014 as the Director of Hockey Analytics, leading the NHL’s first full-time analytics department.
“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.”
New Jersey was a disappointment this season, finishing second last in the Metropolitan Division with a 42-37-3 record.
As a result, the 57-year-old Fitzgerald was fired by the organization after 11 years in the front office. Fitzgerald worked in the GM position since 2020.
