The New Jersey Devils hired Sunny Mehta as their general manager on Thursday night, bringing back their former director of analytics to oversee their hockey operations department.<\/p>\n
Owner David Blitzer announced the hire less than 48 hours after the team\u2019s regular season ended without a playoff appearance. Mehta was an assistant when the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup<\/a> each of the past two years. <\/p>\n \u201cWe quickly realized this job was in high demand and were incredibly fortunate to meet with many qualified candidates,\u201d Blitzer said. \u201cSunny\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Mehta, 48, established the NHL\u2019s first full-fledged analytics department when he joined his home-state Devils in 2014 and worked for them through 2018. He spent time with Washington before going to Florida. <\/p>\n The Toronto Maple Leafs, who also had a vacancy after firing Brad Treliving<\/a> late last month, also showed interest in Mehta, given their interest in a numbers-driven GM. The Devils beat Toronto the punch.<\/p>\n Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, Mehta grew up a Devils fan. He had a career as a professional poker player and worked in finance before getting into hockey.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew this was the place I wanted to be,\u201d Mehta said, thanking the Panthers for the chance to take the next step in his career. \u201cNew 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The Devils parted ways with longtime GM Tom Fitzgerald<\/a> late in the season. The future of coach Sheldon Keefe<\/a> is not clear, though he guided the team to the playoffs in his first year in charge.<\/p>\n