It’s been nearly a week since the New Jersey Devils organization and Tom Fitzgerald parted ways, with the search for a new GM and President of Hockey Ops now well underway.
Friday, Todd laid out who should be – and likely is – the Devils’ top candidate in Sunny Mehta. He checks all the boxes; he is data-driven, he has familiarity with the organization, and he is one of the driving factors in why the Florida Panthers won back-to-back Stanley Cups.
However, the Devils are not the only organization keen on Mehta as a candidate, with the Toronto Maple Leafs reportedly having serious interest in him being the next GM of their team. Thus, it is possible New Jersey doesn’t land their guy.
The good news is that there are still some appealing, analytics-centric options available.
I emphasize that point in particular because, as we are all well aware of, hockey is an ever-evolving sport, and the usage of data and analytics is becoming increasingly important as years go by.
The best teams in the league have data-driven individuals at the helm. The Colorado Avalanche recently hosted the Hockey Analytics League Operations (HALO) Conference, where their GM, President, and head coach all championed the use of analytics in their decision-making.
The Carolina Hurricanes are run exorbitantly analytics-heavy, with their GM, Eric Tulsky, being one of the most prominent analytics bloggers of the early data days in the NHL before becoming an executive.
Florida, which most anti-analytics fans showcase as the pinnacle of an eye-test run organization, doesn’t make a single decision without approval from Mehta, according to Jeff Marek, who reported that on the What Chaos! Podcast.
I also hold the personal opinion that the best executives in the league never played in the NHL.
Of course, there are exceptions, particularly those who have held or do hold the title of President (Joe Sakic, Brendan Shanahan), but in most cases, those who have not actually participated in the boys’ club have less bias and loyalty in their decision-making.
Four of the top six teams in the NHL have a GM who never played in the NHL: Chris MacFarland of Colorado (1), Tulsky of Carolina (2), Kent Hughes of Montreal (5), and Julien BriseBois of Tampa Bay (6).
Bill Zito, who is GM of the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, never played in the NHL, nor did Kelly McCrimmon, who led Vegas to a Cup of their own.
With all that fleshed out, the clear choice behind Mehta as the next potential GM of the New Jersey Devils should be Tyler Dellow, who is currently an AGM with the Hurricanes.
Dellow spent his early career as a civil litigation attorney who was a part-time analytics blogger. He started mc79hockey.com, one of the more influential early analytics blogs out there, before accepting a job with the Edmonton Oilers as a consultant.
After working there for two years, Dellow was an analytics-focused staff writer for The Athletic before assuming the role of Director of Analytics with none other than the Devils, who had just parted ways with Mehta.
After five years of directing the analytics department in New Jersey, Dellow was picked up by Carolina as an AGM prior to the 2024-25 season, where it was announced that he would be overseeing the analytics department and take charge charge of compliance with the salary cap.
With that job description, we can only assume that he was a powerful voice in the room when it came to trade acquisitions and an even more powerful voice in the room when it came to long-term salary cap outlook and the contracts that are handed out.
In trade, the Hurricanes brought in Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall in the same three-team deal without sacrificing a single first-round pick. The Hurricanes subsequently traded Rantanen away for Logan Stankoven, two firsts, and two thirds after he said he would not extend with them.
They also brought in K’Andre Miller for Scott Morrow, a first-rounder, and a third-rounder, with Miller now being one of the most important pieces of their blueline.
The more impressive bits of business are the ones that Dellow presumably has more control over, and those have to do with the long-term cap outlook of the team.
Under Dellow, the Hurricanes miraculously extended a good chunk of their roster to long-term deals worth far below market value.