The New Jersey Devils haven’t had the loudest summer out of all of the NHL teams, but they’ve certainly had a productive one. General Manager Sunny Mehta hasn’t been shy about making changes to a roster that underperformed last season. Coaching adjustments have been made, the defense logjam appears to be cleared, and while goaltending hasn’t been solved yet, moving on from a player who wasn’t performing (and was drawing the ire of most of the fan base) appears to be a good thing, at least on paper.
Mehta has also tried to improve the team’s forwards, first via the aforementioned goalie trade. He next continued to try to add by attempting to sign Barrett Hayton away from Utah via offer sheet. Well, technically Mehta tried to acquire him via trade and Utah backed out; either way, the Mammoth wound up retaining Hayton by matching the offer. Mehta pivoted, went out and signed Anthony Mantha to a two year deal yesterday that, as Chris mentioned, came in below market predictions. The Mantha contract and a couple of his other offseason moves are setting the tone for the type of GM Devils fans should seemingly expect Mehta to be.
Mehta has already shown his willingness to fix former General Manager Tom Fitzgerald’s mistakes. If sending Jacob Markstrom packing before his new deal kicked in wasn’t enough proof of that, then the David Rittich signing is another good indicator. Goaltending is still a giant question mark for the Devils, but Mehta wasn’t willing to go out and either sign an awful contract and/or make a trade that would deplete an already somewhat barren prospect pool even further. Instead, he kicked the can down the road for a season, deciding to see what the combination of Rittich, Jake Allen and re-signed RFA Nico Daws can do.
Another breath of fresh air? Look at Mantha’s contract (or even just next to his name) on PuckPedia. There is ZERO trade protection on that deal. Unlike his predecessor who gave out protections like candy, Mehta may already be taking a stance that he’s not willing them unless it makes sense for player and team. While some of Fitz’s trade protection deals proved to be moveable (Markstrom and Ondrej Palat come to mind right away) the sheer volume of contracts with some sort of clause reportedly did hurt the Devils’ ability to improve the team while he was still here. If Mehta can continue to not hand out contract protections to players who are signed in support roles, then not only is the club more flexible, but the Devils could actually be in on players who are traded mid-season.
The coaching adjustments also bode well for Mehta. How many years was Dave Rogalski around for and how many negative articles here alone focused on the fact that he was not making any goalie who played for him better? As I’ve said before, just look at who is in net for Colorado and while you can argue there’s better support there, I’d also point out both Scott Wedgewood and MacKenzie Blackwood have played better overall since getting away from Goalie Killer Dave. Rogalski was also apparently thought highly of by Marty Brodeur in his role as Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, which again speaks highly for Mehta. While every Devils fan will love Marty for what he did for this organization on the ice, him being a fan of Goalie Killer Dave wasn’t popular. Mehta being willing to get rid of someone who was liked by a franchise legend in the front office shows that Sunny is truly the one in charge, a feeling most did not get with Tom Fitgerald at the helm.
Mehta has been making moves to attempt to recognize his vision since arriving in New Jersey. He’s also not shedding draft picks frivolously and is attempting to make shrewd signings while also not being afraid to get rid of underperformers both on ice and in office. What exactly is Sunny’s vision for the Devils? That still remains to be seen. I do think, however, that most, if not all fans can agree that hat the Devils were doing before his arrival was not working and that regardless of what it is, Mehta should be given a few seasons to try and establish his vision of what the Devils can and will be.
What are your thoughts on Sunny Mehta’s impact on the team so far; do you agree he’s attempting to fix the organization without sacrificing long-term? Do you like what he has done so far? Anything you dislike? Are you concerned that what he has done won’t be enough to cure what ails the Devils? Leave any and all comments down below and thanks as always for reading!
