What is the story about?
We’re almost there.
We have finally reached the end of August, meaning we have finally reached the end of the last month without true, meaningful hockey until next July. Although the New Jersey Devils don’t start their season until October 1, the NHL returns with regular season games toward the very end of September. I hope you enjoyed the time away from the rink, because the summer is over and it’s time to look ahead to an autumn, winter, and hopefully long spring of Devils hockey.
Way back in April,
the Devils fired General Manager Tom Fitzgerald and replaced him with Florida Panthers Assistant General Manager and New Jersey native Sunny Mehta. In the months that followed, we learned a decent amount about how Mehta will run his franchise, had some expectations met, had some expectations subverted, and endured some questions that never did get answered and will apparently be addressed in the future. As such, I thought it would be a good idea to empty the notebook, so to speak, and offer up some thoughts on the first offseason under Mehta. Think of this like a quick hits post, or for football fans of a certain age, like Peter King’s “10 Things I Think I Think” section from his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback columns. We’ll go over pressing matters from the offseason, as well as some random thoughts that my silly little head has conjured up in recent times.
Let’s get to it.
- I know everyone is sick and tired of hearing about Quinn Hughes at this point, but we did hit a rather important milestone in that whole saga recently: The Cale Makar extension. While much of the hockey world was fixated on whether the Minnesota Wild would be able to work out an extension with the eldest Hughes brother, Makar’s own contract situation with the Colorado Avalanche somehow flew a bit under the radar. Makar became extension-eligible this offseason as well, and this past week, Makar signed the biggest contract in NHL history with the Avs: An eight-year, $20.4M AAV deal that will now keep Makar in Colorado for essentially his entire career.
The reason this is relevant to Hughes’ situation is because, while Hughes might not quite be on Makar’s level, he’s one of the very few defensemen in the world who comes close. And despite there being plenty of reasons for Hughes not to extend in Minnesota, the allure of a huge payday might be too good to pass up. This is just my own speculation, but I think Hughes has been waiting for Makar to sign and reset the market so Hughes can go back to the Wild and lock in his own massive contract himself. Yes, Hughes still very much wants to play with his brothers, but I can definitely see Hughes trying to have his cake and eat it too: Signing a gigantic three-year deal with the Wild to align with Jack’s own free agency, then trying to maneuver a way to play with Jack and Luke somewhere. Whether that be Minnesota, New Jersey, or elsewhere. It’s true that Luke would still be under contract for two more years at that point, but perhaps Quinn thinks Luke would be able to force a trade to wherever he and Jack go at that point.
I want to make it clear: I’m not saying I would agree with that strategy, or that I think it’s all that realistic. I’m just saying that I would not be at all surprised if news breaks that Quinn has signed his own mega-deal now that Makar has signed his. Perhaps, despite all the other speculation, that was the hold up all along. - Speaking of the defense, something that surprised me over the summer is that we did not see more of a shakeup to that part of the team. When Mehta came aboard, I thought for certain we would see at least one of Brendan Dillon or Jonas Siegenthaler traded. Especially so once Mehta traded for Declan Chisholm and signed Vladislav Kolyachonok in free agency. Maybe we do see a trade once we get closer to training camp, but I figured it would’ve happened by now. Dougie Hamilton was a possibility to get moved too I guess, but considering how good his advanced metrics looked in 2025-26, and how Mehta has talked about him, I didn’t expect him to get moved. The only significant move we saw was the trade of Simon Nemec, which to be fair was a big deal. But Nemec looked like the third-best RHD on the roster at best behind Hamilton and Brett Pesce, so I don’t think the defense would have looked significantly different with or without him this season.
- There’s another defense-related idea that’s been bumping around in my head recently too: Hamilton’s future. He has two seasons left on his contract, and while most of us thought he would get dealt by now, he remains in New Jersey. He will almost certainly play the whole year with the Devils this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he remains on the roster through the entirety of his contract if he plays well in 2026-27. At that point, Hamilton would be a free agent in his mid-30’s. His $9M AAV would be gone, and even with a rising cap, I can’t see him commanding more than the $9M per season he just got. On the contrary, I don’t think he would even come close to that.
So my question is this: If Hamilton actually plays decent to great over the final two years of his deal…could he possibly come back to New Jersey? I admit, this involves a lot of ifs. Hamilton hasn’t been able to stay healthy during his time with the Devils, and his offensive production has ebbed and flowed. But I look at John Tavares re-signing in Toronto for significantly less than what he got on his first deal there, and I look at Jamie Benn doing something similar in Dallas, and I start to wonder if Hamilton could do the unthinkable and actually continue with the Devils beyond his current deal. If the Devils could bring him back at, say, $3M-$4M on a two- to three-year deal (which, remember, would be chump change compared to where the salary cap will be), then I think there are far worse things than having a strong, puck-moving vet on your second or third pair. And in a somewhat realistic fantasy world (paradoxical wording aside), I can see a future in which New Jersey is rolling with Quinn Hughes running the top pair, Luke Hughes holding down the second pair, and a veteran Hamilton absolutely blowtorching third and fourth lines on the third pair in a few seasons. A lot has to go right for that to happen, but you have to admit, that’s a tantalizing thought isn’t it?
At the end of the day, it’s not something I expect. But hey, stranger things have happened I suppose. - Turning to Sunny Mehta himself, I have to admit that I was wrong about something…I think. In the window after Fitzgerald was fired but before Mehta was hired, Mehta was always my top choice. However, I also wanted someone a little more experienced brought in as well to help the first-year GM along. My dream set up was Mehta as GM and Brendan Shanahan as President of Hockey Operations. My thought process was that while I trust Mehta and his way of doing business, having someone as experienced as Shanahan could help balance out Mehta’s analytical side with someone more in-touch with the league and what it’s like to be a player.
After thinking about it more, I’ve changed my mind. The reason I wanted Mehta was because I trust his approach to get the job done. Bringing in someone like Shanahan would just be hedging the bet, and at worst it could create a front office with clashing viewpoints and no clear direction or strategy. It’s always risky to hire a first-time GM, and there’s no guarantee this will work out. But honestly, I’m glad Mehta was trusted to run his own front office right away. Having a clear vision and rock solid chain of command and crucial and bringing someone like Shanahan in would’ve worked against that. I’d rather take a big swing and fail than play it safe and end up wallowing in mediocrity as a result. - Along those lines, I have a prediction for you: Get ready for the hockey world to subtly root for Mehta to fail. If there’s one thing I know about the hockey media and the general inner-circle of the game, it’s that they REALLY don’t like people who rock the boat. I don’t think Mehta is intentionally looking to upend the system, but the fact is that he is very much a non-traditional GM. He didn’t play or coach at a high level, he has an extensive background in other industries besides hockey, he’s heavy into analytics, and yes, he’s not white, which I hate to say is still an issue for at least some people in the game today, even if there is less racism around the league than 20 or 30 years ago. There are certain members of the old boys club who absolutely loathe the fact that Eric Tulsky and his magic algorithms just won the Cup, and some of that same hate will absolutely be directed at Mehta and the Devils if success follows them too.
Don’t believe me? We’ve already seen prominent members of the hockey media take their subtle swipes at Mehta when he dared to offer sheet Utah’s Barrett Hayton. As Mehta continues to go against hockey orthodoxy in his attempts to make his team better, don’t be surprised to see more people in and around the game sneak in some jabs against him. Us Devils fans have long thought that the league hates our favorite team. For me personally, most of the time I think that sentiment is overblown, but I do think the Devils have been treated unfairly in some ways over the years (the Ilya Kovalchuk contract saga being the prime example and something I will ALWAYS despise the league for). In the grand scheme of things, even if my prediction comes true, will that even change anything at all? Perhaps not. But my only point is, I would prepare yourselves for a little more subtle hate getting thrown Mehta and the Devils’ way in the near future. - Here’s another Mehta prediction for you: I think the Devils will take a big swing at the trade deadline. It was reported that Mehta was looking for a roster player in exchange for Simon Nemec this summer, but when a deal for that sort of return did not materialize, he pivoted to a big haul of futures from the Calgary Flames. As I mentioned earlier, I find it surprising that at least one more defenseman was not traded away this summer. But I can still see someone like Dillon or Siegenthaler or Kovacevic (although probably not him considering his full no-move clause) getting traded for some mid-round picks at some point. Heck, I think it’s even possible we see someone like Dawson Mercer get traded for a high-round pick or two. New Jersey already has a strong war chest of future draft picks to deal, and that war chest could get even more full with another move or two.
So what I see happening is Mehta taking those first rounders he got from Calgary, adding some more draft capital by trading another relatively expendable player or two, mixing in the Devils’ own draft picks, and taking a big swing on an impact player at the deadline. Will it be for Quinn Hughes? A top-six scoring forward? An intriguing young player with term left on their deal? I’m not sure. But I do think we see Mehta make a big move at the deadline. - Shifting to the forward group, I’ve been thinking lately that Arseny Gritsyuk might be the biggest wildcard among Devils forwards. Gritsyuk showed a ton of promise last season, to the point where I think a future as a point per game player with outstanding two-way impacts is on the table. Obviously I’m not expecting that to happen this year, but the fact that it’s at least somewhat plausible is a great sign.
For a while now, it really has felt like New Jersey has been missing that one big piece in their top six to get them over the top. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt are an incredible nucleus. We all want more out of Timo Meier, but if he’s your fourth-best forward, I think you’re still in good shape. Anthony Mantha is a solid but not spectacular addition to the top six. And Dawson Mercer is more of a middle-six player than a true top-six one, but he still fits well with that group. All that being said, the Devils could really use one more forward that is roughly on Bratt’s level, and Gritsyuk could be just that. If he has another season like 2025-26, that’s still a valuable player that bolsters the middle six a great deal. But if he can take that next step and be that 30-40 goal, 70-80 point player that drives play at both ends of the ice, then all of a sudden I think New Jersey has one of the most potent forward groups in the league. Dare I say, a forward group like that wouldn’t be all that far off from the mighty Panthers, even after the Brady Tkachuk addition. I think Gritsyuk makes that much of a difference, and his development will be absolutely critical. - While we’re on the subject of forward depth, while I like where the Devils are at, I can’t help but feel disappointed that they weren’t able to pry Barrett Hayton out of Utah. Hayton has never lived up to his draft pedigree, but I think he’s a player with a lot to offer. Mehta seemed to think so too, considering he tried to acquire him twice: once in a trade at the draft, and once through the failed offer sheet. The constant injuries to Jack Hughes have made it really apparent that the Devils have been sorely lacking in organizational center depth, even if the 1-2 punch at the top is elite. With Cody Glass in the fold, New Jersey went a long way towards building that depth. And now that they have Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist back, the depth is stronger than it has been in quite some time. But in my opinion, adding Hayton would’ve pushed it over the top into being a truly elite center depth chart. The more the summer goes on, the more I can’t help but feel like the failed offer sheet for Hayton was a big missed opportunity. To be clear, I don’t blame Mehta and think he went about the offer sheet in the exact way he should have. It’s just unfortunate that it wasn’t enough to convince Bill Armstrong to let Hayton go. Here’s hoping the rest of the depth currently on the roster, including the intriguing Amadeus Lombardi, make it a moot point.
- I still don’t have much of a handle on the goaltending situation. It’s true that a trio of Jake Allen, Nico Daws, and David Rittich is no sure thing. On the other hand, Brandon Bussi just won the Stanley Cup for Carolina. On the other-other hand, Freddie Andersen, who is a much more established goalie, got the Hurricanes most of the way there. On the other-other-other hand, Andersen hasn’t exactly been a paragon of consistency in recent years either. I’m running out of hands here. The point is, there is plenty of risk involved in rolling with the goalie room as it stands today. But given how well Allen has performed the past couple of seasons, Daws’ promising numbers in his limited big league action, and Rittich’s relative strength as a third-string goalie, I believe there’s a high ceiling here also. I can see a realistic breakdown being Allen and Daws getting 35 games apiece, and Rittich soaking up the remaining 14. That would keep everyone fresh and (hopefully) hungry as the season goes along. Again, I really don’t know what to think. There are numbers that say this trio should work well, and there are numbers that say it shouldn’t. For now, I’ll trust Mehta.
- Finally, as we sit here at the end of the summer, I like where the Devils are at. I don’t love it, but I like it, and it was always going to take more than one offseason to untangle the mess Tom Fitzgerald left behind. The most surprising and impressive part of the offseason in my opinion is that not only was Mehta able to unload Jacob Markstrom’s entire contract with no retention and no sweeteners attached, but bewilderingly, he actually got solid roster players in return! Remarkable stuff. And in addition to that move, there were plenty of others that I really liked. But the fact remains that this roster still has holes. They still need one more high-end piece in their top six (unless Gritsyuk takes that leap), they still need that unquestioned stud leading the blueline (unless Luke Hughes takes that leap), and they still need more puck-moving and general offense from their defense corps overall.
All that being said, I still see New Jersey as a playoff team at the moment. Not quite in that Cup Contender tier for now, but hopefully as Mehta has more time to shape this roster as he sees fit, they will get there. I expect New Jersey to improve from their horrific 7-17-2 mark against the Metropolitan Division last season, and for those additional wins to swing a bunch of standings points in their favor. The offense should be improved, and if the goaltending can hold steady, they will absolutely finish in the top three in the Metro.
Your Take
What are your thoughts on where the Devils stand after the 2026 offseason? What are some things not discussed here that you think are important? What are some predictions you have for this upcoming season? Overall, how would you grade Sunny Mehta’s first offseason as GM? As always, thanks for reading!
