New Jersey Devils’ Sunny Mehta’s First Offseason Has Been a Success – The Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils had a much-needed general manager change this offseason, but they went an unconventional route. Their choice was a professional poker player and data scientist turned multi-time Stanley Cup champion: Sunny Mehta.

Four seasons ago, the Devils won 52 games and appeared to be destined for long-term success. However, they haven’t been able to return to those levels, topping out at 91 standings points ever since. Fortunately, there’s reason to believe that Mehta has turned the ship around.

Devils Upgrade Goaltending & Depth With Markström Trade

On the surface, the Devils’ Jacob Markström trade isn’t all that special. The veteran netminder and Angus Crookshank were sent to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jesper Boqvist, Evan Rodrigues, and Ben Steeves. No draft picks were involved, and Crookshank and Steeves were minor-league throw-ins.

But the Devils made out well on two fronts: their goaltending (despite Markström being the face of the deal) and their depth.

It’s plausible that Markström would’ve bounced back with the Devils in 2026-27, but he really struggled last season. According to HockeyViz’s model, he allowed 130 goals on 115.5 expected goals. While the 36-year-old was far from the worst goaltender in the league, the workload he received (43 starts) made his impact far more detrimental.

A pivot to Jake Allen and Nico Daws should prove worthwhile, even if the former is 36 years old and the latter has suited up for single-digit contests over the last two seasons. Combined, the two allowed 108 goals on 120.3 expected goals in 2025-26.

Now, whether Allen can replicate one of the most impressive seasons of his career and Daws can succeed as a full-time backup is a significant question mark. But at least on paper, the Devils are better between the pipes entering the new campaign.

Then, there’s the depth aspect of the deal. The Devils received Rodrigues and Boqvist for their bottom six, saving cap space in the process.

Boqvist is a solid fourth-liner with above-average results on the penalty kill. His impact shouldn’t be overstated, but he’s a respectable addition to this lineup. Where things get more interesting, though, is with Rodrigues. He’s not the analytical darling he was a few seasons ago, but he grades out well at 5-on-5.

The main downside with Rodrigues is his finishing, which has been a consistent issue for him. Still, overall, he’s a notable upgrade on what the Devils had in 2025-26.

Mantha Can Help Improve Devils’ Finishing Woes

Speaking of finishing, that’s an area in which the Devils will have to improve in 2026-27. As a team, they scored 208 goals on 244.2 expected goals—one of the most devastating differentials in the NHL. Positive regression should basically be guaranteed, but Mehta made one move to help ensure growth: signing Anthony Mantha to a two-year, $4.75 million cap-hit deal.

No doubt about it, Mantha is an elite finisher—and by far the best who was on the market. He recorded 33 goals on 15:11 of average ice time last season, so he should be able to make an impact in the middle of the lineup.

The Devils’ biggest problem last season was their finishing. They actively sought out to change their fortunes, even if they were probably destined for some improvement anyway.

Mehta Has Flexibility With Draft Picks & Prospects

Perhaps Mehta’s best work of the summer was saying goodbye to 2022 second-overall pick Šimon Nemec. He’s young and still has upside as a top-four defender, but the Devils couldn’t refuse the package they received: two first-round picks, a second-round pick (Matias Vanhanen), and prospect Étienne Morin, plus the dumping of Maxim Tsyplakov.

Nemec has only been a liability for the Devils, so instead of waiting for him to blossom, the team has some flexibility. If Mehta feels an upgrade is necessary at the deadline, he has two extra first-round picks at his disposal, as well as Corey Pronman’s No. 22-ranked NHL pipeline (from ‘NHL Pipeline Rankings 2026: From Sharks to Avalanche, the best prospects and under-23 players,’ The Athletic, August 18, 2026).

Even with the assets New Jersey now has, things can always go wrong here. Hughes has missed 20 games in each of his last three seasons, and regression from Allen is fairly realistic. But Mehta has raised the Devils’ ceiling by quite a bit—and it may help them return to the level of success they saw in 2022-23.