The New Jersey Devils hired Sunny Mehta as their general manager, the team announced Thursday.
Mehta spent the past six seasons with the Florida Panthers, including the last three as assistant general manager and head of analytics. The Panthers represented the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final the past three seasons, winning twice.
Mehta is a New Jersey native who worked with the Devils as an analyst from 2014-18.
"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 in a statement.
He added, "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."
The Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs reportedly got permission to interview Mehta for their respective GM vacancies earlier in April. New Jersey, which failed to reach the playoffs, fired former general manager Tom Fitzgerald on April 6.
After dismissing Fitzgerald, the team told head coach Sheldon Keefe that his status will be evaluated at the conclusion of the regular season.
The Devils went 42-37-3 this season after making the playoffs as the third seed in the Metropolitan Division last year.
New Jersey doesn't have any core players on expiring contracts this summer and has over $13 million in projected cap space, according to PuckPedia. Captain Nico Hischier is eligible for an extension as of July 1. He's currently under contract through 2027.
