Devils To Interview Sunny Mehta For GM Vacancy
The Devils have received permission from the Panthers to interview Sunny Mehta, one of their assistant general managers, for New Jersey’s GM vacancy, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports.
Florida also formally granted permission to the Maple Leafs, who Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman linked to Mehta last weekend, to speak with him. It doesn’t appear they’re denying any requests for their assistant staffers to interview elsewhere for better opportunities, something general manager Bill Zito is intent on doing after benefiting from such a practice during his days as an AGM with the Blue Jackets, LeBrun writes.
New Jersey is still in the early stages of its search for Tom Fitzgerald‘s successor. They made the decision to move on from him on Monday. TSN’s Chris Johnston said on “First Up” the following day that, much like the Leafs, they’re looking for an analytically inclined name to take over the chair.
As has been discussed with the Leafs’ interest, there’s perhaps no better name to satisfy that than Mehta. One of the biggest names in NHL clubs’ early acceptance of advanced analytics in scouting and roster decisions, Mehta’s first full-time job in the NHL came back with the Devils in 2014. After a four-year run in New Jersey during their mid-2010s rebuild, Mehta was picked up by the Panthers as a hockey strategy and intelligence analyst in 2021 before eventually being promoted to AGM under Zito two years later.
Devils Shut Luke Hughes Down For Season
The Devils have shut down defenseman Luke Hughes for their final four games so he can undergo an undisclosed surgery, the team announced Thursday.
Hughes has dealt with a variety of shoulder issues over the past two seasons. It wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest if the corresponding wear and tear required some clean-up work. The team didn’t issue a timeline for his recovery but said the reason for having the surgery now was to “get a head start on rehab for the off-season,” so it doesn’t appear his availability for next season’s training camp is in jeopardy.
Per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, the procedure is related to the most recent of those shoulder injuries, a dislocation he suffered back on Jan. 19 against the Flames. He missed the next 10 games but was back in the lineup shortly after the Olympic break without undergoing surgery. Despite that, he played some solid hockey down the stretch. Across his last 19 games, the Devils have improved, going 12-6-1. That’s been accompanied by a 1-8–9 scoring line and a +4 rating from Hughes while averaging nearly 24 minutes per night, seeing clear-cut deployment now ahead of Dougie Hamilton as their #1.
Hughes, 22, concludes the first season of the seven-year, $63MM deal he signed with the Devils near the end of training camp after spending most of last summer as a restricted free agent. Considering the $9MM price tag he held out for, New Jersey likely hoped for more production out of their new top offensive weapon on the blue line this season. He finishes his campaign with six goals, 29 assists, 35 points, and a -4 rating in 68 outings. That was good enough to lead the Devils’ defensemen but was the worst point-per-game output (0.51) of his three full NHL seasons.
The fourth overall pick in 2021, the younger brother of teammate Jack Hughes and Wild star Quinn Hughes quietly had a good run in the possession department this season. He’s prone to some high-visibility turnovers but has otherwise been a consistent playdriver from the drop, notching a 53.8% shot attempt share and 49.7% expected goals share at 5-on-5 this season, per Natural Stat Trick. That’s indicative of the quantity-over-quality approach he takes defensively, but it’s worth noting Hamilton was the only Devils defender better at controlling shot share and expected goals across the board this season.
Hughes should be able to hit the ground running again in the fall as New Jersey’s #1 lefty. For now, it will be veteran tweener Dennis Cholowski stepping into the lineup as the Devils finish out their season. They’re mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, missing the postseason for the sixth time in eight years. Cholowski was recalled at the trade deadline after Brett Pesce sustained a lower-body injury, but has been a healthy scratch in 16 consecutive games. That streak tonight will end against the Penguins. He had one assist and a -5 rating in 15 outings for the Devils in the front half of the year.
Image courtesy of Thomas Salus-Imagn Images.
Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe’s Future Under Evaluation
New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, including James Nichols of NJD Hockey Now, that his future will be evaluated at the end of the season.
The news comes as not much of a shock, as the Devils fired general manager Tom Fitzgerald yesterday, the first step in what will be more changes in store. Keefe’s contract runs through the 2027-28 season, but that hardly provides security in itself, facing what has been a disappointing year in all areas.
Widely predicted to make the playoffs comfortably back in the fall, today New Jersey sits second to last in the Metropolitan Division. It wasn’t an immediate demise, as back in mid-November they proudly held the #2 spot in the entire league, only behind Colorado. It seemed like Keefe’s club were hitting their stride, on the path to make the playoffs again under his guidance. Instead, a lot has happened since then, some worthy of fueling critics, other aspects out of the coach’s control entirely.
In just one month’s time from their strong start, the Devils stumbled all the way to 16th in the league. The fall off was kick-started by Jack Hughes’ freak hand injury which required surgery. As if losing their top scorer to a restaurant incident wasn’t frustrating enough, in December they also had an opportunity to make a monumental acquisition in Quinn Hughes, proving unable to do so. Besides the obvious affinity the New Jersey faithful have for the franchise level defenseman, striking out on such a player did the group no favors, as they only slipped further. Had they pulled it off, Keefe’s standing would be in a very different position today.
Outside of the Team USA hero’s lost time, the Devils also missed integral shutdown defenseman Brett Pesce with his own health issues. The 31-year-old has played just 37 games all year, sidelined in the fall, and currently down again with a lower-body injury. Out of his 11 professional seasons to this point, 2025-26 will mark the campaign with the fewest games played for the righty.
Often trying to work with a thinner lineup, Keefe’s efforts have not materialized, as the Devils rank seventh-worst in goals scored (218) and a -16 goal differential. Timo Meier’s performance has dipped, just 42 points in 72 games this season. It’s an issue magnified by the 29-year-old’s contract, with questionable roster construction clearly playing a part in their on-ice results.
Depth scoring has also been a factor. Stefan Noesen has found the back of the net just three times in 38 games, battling through his own injuries, either way a serious drop off from last year’s breakout 22 tallies. By no means is it realistic to blame the Devils’ woes on the late-blooming 33-year-old, but it’s further evidence that the group could benefit from a new voice.
If the end is near for the Brampton, Ontario native’s time in Jersey, Keefe’s history will likely warrant another head coaching gig, and quickly. Unlike the newly hired John Tortorella and Peter DeBoer, who waited patiently for their next undertaking, Keefe could find another job in time for 2026-27 based on a number of openings, both current and to come.
With a 294 – 164 – 50 career record, good for a .628 win percentage, the once young up-and-comer in Toronto now has over 500 games leading at the NHL level. His results have dipped a bit in New Jersey, but when looking at the adversity they’ve gone through, it’s commendable nonetheless. He’s never had a losing record, and plenty of organizations would be happy to become his third.
The Los Angeles Kings present an intriguing opportunity on paper. Even if they manage to squeak into the playoffs, interim bench boss D.J. Smith is not expected to be a long term solution. Keefe’s structured approach would mesh nicely with the Los Angeles core, a group fully intent on winning right away.
It’s certainly a long shot, but fun nonetheless to imagine the possibility of a Toronto return given Keefe’s deep-rooted relationship with the organization. Perhaps it would be an attempt to return to a time which suddenly doesn’t seem as bad after all. Of course, the Maple Leafs have their own evaluations to make behind the bench before it could even become an option.
Ahead of new possibilities to even be considered, Keefe will aim to finish the campaign strong and make his case to stick around in Newark at a desirable job through its organizational change. His Devils will finish the campaign one week from today, April 14, and news could come quickly as management weighs their options. If he does survive the general manager transition, it would be intriguing to see what Keefe could accomplish in New Jersey with a roster not battered by injuries.
Devils Fire General Manager Tom Fitzgerald
The New Jersey Devils announced that they’ve parted ways with President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald. He joins Brad Treliving, formerly with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as the second General Manager fired in the last week.
In the announcement, New Jersey’s Managing Partner, David Blitzer, said, “Tom and I had a thoughtful conversation today and agreed it was time to move in a new direction. Tom changed the trajectory of our team here, including setting a franchise record for points in a season and helping make New Jersey a hockey destination. He is a well-respected leader across the Devils’ organization and NHL, and I am grateful for our friendship. I wish Tom and his family all the best. As we prepare to move forward, it is important I acknowledge our fans. I recognize we have not delivered in the way you expect and deserve and I understand and share in your frustration. This is a critical offseason for our franchise, and we will explore all avenues that best position the Devils to compete for a Stanley Cup once again.”
Furthermore, Fitzgerald provided a quote, saying, “After talking with David Blitzer, it was apparent to everyone that the best course of action is to move on for the benefit of the team. I am incredibly appreciative to David, Josh Harris, and the entire New Jersey Devils organization for being a part of my life for the past decade. The Devils are fortunate to have a core of great players, vocal and passionate fans, but most importantly, tremendous people who worked with me toward a common goal. I’ve always said that New Jersey is a hidden gem and I’m proud of the effort that we put in to raise the standard and make it a destination. I look forward to the next step in my hockey career and will always look back fondly on my time with the Devils.”
Fitzgerald became the Devils’ General Manager ahead of the 2020-21 campaign after serving in the interim toward the end of the 2019-20 season. Since then, New Jersey has qualified for the playoffs only twice, reaching Round Two in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. Each time, they were ousted by Metropolitan Division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes.
Although some of Fitzgerald’s trades deserve scrutiny, such as trading Pavel Zacha to the Boston Bruins and including Yegor Sharangovich in the trade for Tyler Toffoli, his tenure with the Devils will be more remembered for the moves he didn’t make, rather than the ones he did.
Unlike most teams, New Jersey has legitimate top-six talent like Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Dawson Mercer. However, whether it be through a hyper-conservative approach or something different, Fitzgerald never addressed New Jersey’s depth-scoring issues.
The team has been highly affected by injuries over the last several years, none of which is Fitzgerald’s fault. Still, by not adding additional scoring help toward the bottom of the forward corps, the Devils’ offense would completely disappear when their better players succumbed to injuries.
Last season was a perfect example. New Jersey entered the deadline without Hughes and was slowly falling down the standings. Instead of spending a little more to acquire a short-term stopgap that can move up and down the lineup like Ryan O’Reilly, Brayden Schenn, or Nazem Kadri, the Devils acquired Cody Glass, Daniel Sprong, Brian Dumoulin, and Dennis Cholowski. In his defense, Glass has been a nice find this season, but there was never an expectation that they could replace Hughes’ value by committee, and New Jersey was quickly bounced in the playoffs.
Additionally, Fitzgerald has raised a few eyebrows with the extensions given to Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, although the latter has worked out rather well. Plainly put, Fitzgerald had six years to turn the team into a consistent contender, had the pieces to do so, and didn’t get the job done.
Fortunately, for Fitzgerald, there are already a few openings available to him, even before the end of the regular season. As previously mentioned, the Maple Leafs fired Treliving a few days ago and may seek another experienced mind to get the franchise back on track. Furthermore, the Nashville Predators, with whom Fitzgerald spent four years during his playing career, have an opening as well.
Regardless, the announcement reads as if both parties knew the writing was on the wall for some time. The next General Manager will face significant challenges, particularly in creating salary cap space in the short term and negotiating Hischier’s extension this summer. However, the Devils aren’t the worst situation in the league, and have solid forwards up front. Acquiring depth around them will be the initial focus.
Devils Recall Brian Halonen And Marc McLaughlin
The Devils have made a pair of roster moves heading into the first half of a back-to-back set against Montreal that begins tonight. The team announced that they’ve recalled winger Brian Halonen and center Marc McLaughlin from AHL Utica.
It’s the second recall of the season for Halonen, who spent nearly a month with the Devils in his first stint early in the year. The 27-year-old got into nine games during his first stint, picking up his first career NHL goal and point along with 18 hits in 7:30 of playing time per game. He was sent down right before he was set to become waiver-eligible once more after clearing at the end of training camp. Since then, Halonen has played with the Comets, collecting 19 goals and 13 assists in 48 appearances, good for second on the team in points.
As for McLaughlin, he was on season-opening IR until February and after he cleared waivers during the Olympic break, he has been with the Comets since. The 26-year-old has been relatively productive in Utica, notching six goals and seven assists in 21 games to earn this promotion. McLaughlin has seen NHL action in each of the last four years but has been limited to just 28 outings overall where he has six goals and one assist.
Both players are expected to suit up tonight. Team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that the two will play on the fourth line alongside Paul Cotter while Maxim Tsyplakov and Evgenii Dadonov will cede their spots in the lineup.
Devils’ Arseny Gritsyuk Done For Season
According to a team announcement, New Jersey Devils forward Arseny Gritsyuk will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season due to surgery. The Devils didn’t specify the type of surgery Gritsyuk underwent, but it’s believed it’s related to a recent upper-body injury.
Gritsyuk, 25, hasn’t played for New Jersey in several days. His last game with the team, and now confirmed to be his last game of the season, was on March 24th against the Dallas Stars, in which Gritsyuk tallied an assist on a Connor Brown goal.
All in all, it was a solid campaign for the first-year Russian. One year after scoring 17 goals and 44 points in 49 games for the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg, Gritsyuk wraps up his rookie season with 13 goals and 31 points in 66 games with a -3 rating.
Although the top-heavy Devils are led by the likes of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier, Gritsyuk became a solid secondary scorer for the club. Although he may be usurped in New Jersey’s seven remaining games (after tonight), Gritsyuk will likely finish seventh among Devils forwards in scoring.
Furthermore, he proved to be a valuable asset for New Jersey in terms of maintaining possession of the puck. At the time of writing, Gritsyuk is first on the Devils in CorsiFor at even strength with a 58.8%, almost a full percent higher than Bratt. Furthermore, among the 14 Devils that have played in more than 700 minutes for the team this season, Gritsyk ranked second with a 51.9% xGoals%, according to MoneyPuck.
Unfortunately, his solid introduction into the NHL has left New Jersey in a tricky spot with Gritsyuk for the offseason. He is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights, as his one-year, $925K contract expires on July 1. Given that the Devils don’t have a lot of money coming off the books this summer, they’ll likely need to make a move to sign Gritsyuk to a multi-year deal.
The team had been attempting to move Dougie Hamilton for much of the regular season, and will likely revisit that this summer. If they manage to clear his entire $9MM cap hit off the books, the Devils should have no issues keeping Gritsyuk around. However, if they’re unable to, he may become an impromptu non-tender candidate, giving New Jersey additional breathing room moving forward.
Devils’ Charlie Leddy Signs AHL Contract
Devils defense prospect Charlie Leddy has signed a contract with the AHL’s Utica Comets for the remainder of the season, New Jersey’s top affiliate announced Tuesday. The Devils still have until Aug. 15 to sign Leddy to an entry-level contract to retain his NHL signing rights.
New Jersey drafted Leddy in the fourth round in 2022 out of the U.S. National Team Development Program. A shutdown threat, the 6’2″ righty didn’t score once in 55 games for the program in his draft year but did manage 17 assists with a +33 rating.
Now 22, Leddy has kept up his strong defensive play in the college circuit. He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Boston University before entering the transfer portal in 2024. He landed at Quinnipiac, where he finished up his final two NCAA seasons with a pair of ECAC regular-season championships with the Bobcats.
Through 140 NCAA games, Leddy recorded a 4-29–33 scoring line with 83 penalty minutes and a +47 rating. He didn’t earn a mention among the top 13 Devils prospects that Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked last month, but Dobber Prospects lists him as the #2 right-shot defense prospect in their system behind Seamus Casey and #4 among both sides of the blue line.
If the Devils ultimately decide they don’t want to use a contract slot on Leddy, he can still re-up with Utica and play in the organization next season. They just won’t be able to recall him until they sign him to an entry-level deal, and he will become eligible to solicit and sign offers with any other NHL club while playing there.
Devils Expect To Sign Anton Silayev
The Devils are expected to sign 2024 10th overall pick Anton Silayev to his entry-level contract this offseason, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
Silayev, 20 next month, is in the final weeks of his contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. Torpedo is up 1-0 in their first-round playoff series against Severstal Cherepovets, but unlike with prospects in most other leagues, the timing of when Silayev’s postseason schedule ends is irrelevant to his ability to sign an entry-level contract this season.
KHL contracts run through May 31, and due to the lack of a transfer agreement with the NHL, it’s rare for Russian clubs to release players to sign with an NHL team before the legal expiry of their deals. With the Devils out of the playoff picture, they won’t be able to sign him until well after their season is over, but the hope is to get him to North America in time for their development camp following the draft, Pagnotta reports.
The monster 6’7″, 207-lb lefty was drafted with the hope he could be New Jersey’s top shutdown threat long-term. Getting him under wraps two years after his draft is better than the usual case for Russian prospects, so that’s a definite positive to take away from today’s news.
Silayev was viewed by some as a risky bet to take that high in the draft due to his evident lack of offensive upside, but he still grades out as the organization’s top prospect according to Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff and their #2 according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. Still, this season was tough for him.
He’s continued to demonstrate defensive development, but his already limited offensive utility was almost nonexistent this year, recording just three points in 61 regular-season games for Torpedo after hitting low double-digit totals each of the prior two seasons. His ice time was lessened as a result.
With that in mind, expecting him to emerge with a roster spot in the fall is hasty. A likely outcome is that Silayev anchors a top-four job with AHL Utica, with the expectation that a strong start will lead to a quick call-up. Players with similar archetypes over the last few seasons have adjusted well to minor-league duties but don’t routinely make the immediate jump to a full-time NHL role.
There were similar concerns in Dmitriy Simashev‘s game when the Coyotes, now Mammoth, selected him sixth overall in 2023, but he’s produced nearly a point per game upon his arrival in the AHL this season after a similar lack of offensive success in Russia. He has just one assist and a -9 rating in 25 NHL outings this year, though, so Utah has opted to keep him stashed in the minors amid their push for the franchise’s first playoff berth.
Stefan Noesen Ruled Out For Season, Brett Pesce Questionable To Return
New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe announced today that injured forward Stefan Noesen has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, while defenseman Brett Pesce is “questionable” to return this year as well.
Noesen, 33, underwent knee surgery in January. From that point, he was considered out indefinitely, and now the Devils have confirmed that the surgery has ended his 2025-26 campaign.
It was a difficult season even before the injury for the veteran forward. He had a strong debut campaign in Newark last season, scoring a career-high 22 goals and 41 points in 78 games. He provided New Jersey with an instant return-on-investment after they paid him $2.75MM on a three-year deal to sign with them as an unrestricted free agent.
This season, Noesen’s numbers declined sharply. He scored just three goals and seven points in 38 contests, also seeing his average ice time decline from 15:55 per game to just 11:45 per game. Today’s news confirms that Noesen’s immediate priority will not be getting his scoring back on the right track, but instead will be about recovery and getting himself back into full health in time for next season.
Since New Jersey would need a miracle run to reach the playoffs at this point in the season, the confirmation of Noesen’s extended absence also allows the Devils to more fully shift their focus to developing younger players in the NHL, with an eye toward next season. It’s possible a younger winger such as Lenni Hameenaho pushes Noesen for minutes when both arrive at training camp later this year.
The loss of Pesce is arguably the more significant one for New Jersey, as he’s not only one of the team’s top defenseman, but he’s also a player the club has a major financial investment in. The 31-year-old costs $5.5MM against the cap through the end of the decade, meaning New Jersey has a pressing interest in ensuring he’s healthy and able to provide them with as much on-ice value over the course of his contract as possible. Pesce has been out since March 3 with a lower-body injury, and is considered week-to-week.
Seeing as the Devils, as previously mentioned, aren’t bound for the playoffs next month, the team is unlikely to have much interest in pushing the timeline to get Pesce back on the ice as soon as possible. Instead, a silver lining to the team’s uneven performance this season is that they will be able to afford Pesce as much time as possible to recover without any on-ice pressures.
Pesce has fit in well since arriving in New Jersey, bringing along his trademark steady, reliable defensive style. He was New Jersey’s No. 1 defenseman in terms of raw time on ice per game last season, averaging 21:19 per game, including a heavy penalty-killing role. This season, he ranks No. 3 as Luke Hughes has taken on a more commanding role on the team’s defense.
Devils Notes: Pesce, Cholowski, Gritsyuk
The New Jersey Devils will be down a usual lineup piece this weekend. Defenseman Brett Pesce will be unavailable due to a lower-body injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe told NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.
Pesce has already missed 25 games this season with extended absences in November and February. He fills a key role in the lineup when healthy, playing upwards of 22 minutes a night when New Jersey is looking for a shutdown piece. Pesce has worked to seven points and a minus-11 in 37 games this season. He ranks second on the Devils in shot blocks (80) and fourth on the defense in takeaways (16). Pesce has been knocked off course by injury in his age-31 season but his two-way reliability will still continue to command major lineup minutes when he’s back to full health.
Other notes out of New Jersey:
- The Devils have responded to Pesce’s injury by recalling depth defenseman Dennis Cholowski from the AHL. Cholowski didn’t begin his season until November, due to injury, but his year started on the NHL roster. He scored one point in 15 games through November and December while filling in during Pesce’s first extended absence of the season. Cholowski was reassigned on December 14th and has spent the entirety of the new calendar year in the AHL. He has racked up five assists in 13 games. Pesce’s injury likely won’t push Cholowski ahead of Simon Nemec and Brendan Dillon on the depth chart but it will give New Jersey one more set of hands as they approach back-to-back games.
- Away from injury news, the Devils have also begun talks of a contract extension with winger Arseny Gritsyuk, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told Devils’ team reporter Amanda Stein. Gristyuk has scored 11 goals and 26 points in 58 games as an NHL rookie this season. He is on pace for 15 goals and 37 points across a full 82-game season, which would be the seventh-highest scoring total from a Devils rookie since 2000. Gritsyuk blossomed in Russia’s KHL over the last three seasons, kicked off with 40 points in 60 games of Omsk Avangard’ 2022-23 campaign, and concluded with 44 points in 49 games with SKA St. Petersburg last year. He has adjusted seamlessly into an NHL top-nine role in the season since. That should be enough to earn Gritsyuk a contract with term as he looks to sign the first deal after his entry-level contract. He is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.