EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEWARK, NJ -- "Do you still think I shouldn't be the general manager of this team?"I'm sitting in a lounge at the Prudential Center across from Sunny Mehta, who was hired as the general manager of the New Jersey Devils, despite my apparent protestations. I didn't recall holding this particular opinion, but a quick search revealed a podcast interview where I fully endorsed his candidacy for the team's vacancy -- provided he had an experienced executive working above him with the Devils."I wouldn't want him to, like, run the whole show," I said at the time.And now Sunny Mehta is running the whole show ... and taking some measure of satisfaction watching me squirm while singed by my own hot take.I've known Sunny for a bit now. His first podcast interview was on the old "ESPN On Ice" show with me and Emily Kaplan. I should have known this gotcha moment was coming, because when you sit down at a table with Sunny Mehta you assume he's going to be systematically prepared in ways that you are not.Mehta, 48, is the latest in a wave of NHL general managers with roots in the analytics movement and taking non-traditional paths to their front office jobs. Eric Tulsky, the movement's standard-bearer, built a Stanley Cup winner in Carolina 20 years after analyzing the synthesis of cadmium-free nanocrystals for clinical applications as a scientist for a nanotech company in Washington state.Like Tulsky, Mehta has an untypical background. While other current GMs were inhaling Zamboni fumes at the rink, Mehta was a derivatives trader in Chicago and a professional poker player, having authored two books on card-playing strategy. Like Tulsky, he entered the NHL first as a data consultant and then as an analytics director, before becoming an assistant general manager. Mehta won the Stanley Cup twice in that capacity with the Florida Panthers before replacing Tom Fitzgerald as Devils general manager this year.But he also shares something else with Tulsky: He's a hockey fan living the dream. Tulsky first caught the hockey bug as a commenter on Philadelphia Flyers blogs. Mehta is a lifelong Devils fan who now runs the Devils. The kind of kid who would rock a red-and-black Starter jacket while sitting in the Meadowlands stands, cheering on someone nicknamed "The Little Ball of Hate."As a young Devils fan, Mehta loved Pat Verbeek, and still remembers the exhilaration of his 46-goal season in 1987-88, then a Devils record. Verbeek went from NHL player to NHL general manager. Mehta went from NHL fan to Verbeek's peer."I remember talking to Verbeek when I was an AGM in Florida about that 46-goal season. He was like, 'I f---ing got hurt at the end. I would've had more!' It was really funny," Mehta said. "I obviously talk to Pat in a different capacity now, but I still kind of break his balls about it."Verbeek played 1,424 games in the NHL. He's one of 13 current general managers that have played at least 500 NHL games. Other managers are longtime player agents (Bill Zito, Kent Hughes), descendants of hockey royalty (Stan Bowman, Chris Patrick) or have worked in NHL front offices since the 1990s (Don Waddell, Ken Holland).Was there ever any concern for Mehta that these hockey lifers might not talk to him the way they talk to each other? He acknowledged it's been an apprehension for others. "Maybe even owners, at certain points," he said.But Mehta said he was never concerned, personally."I think the thing that people forget is when you're the GM, people have to call you because they want your players. They want to trade with you. It'd be stupid for them to not call you. It'd be stupid for them to not try to get along with you, to not be nice to you," he said. "Agents are looking for your money, so they want you to sign their players. It was super easy to forge a ton of new friendships and relationships."While working for the Panthers, Mehta had a window into the interactions between GMs and agents. He took part in trade discussions, but now gets to engage in trade negotiations. Which made me curious: How does a former poker pro read opponents when trying to win a trade?"I think the poker part of it is more the pre-negotiation part, thinking through all the probability and the strategy. But when I first started talking to other GMs, I was probably the least 'poker' in the sense that I just called guys and I was like, 'Here's who I like.' I kind of just think being transparent and trying to be as direct as possible is a better policy than trying to be too clever and bluffing," he said. "Instead of treating them as an adversary, treat them as a partner. You're going to get more bees with honey than vinegar, you know what I mean?"There's also a strategy in managing internal relationships. Despite his affinity for the team, Mehta is an outsider to these Devils. He has history with some players -- forward Evan Rodrigues, for example, who was acquired from Florida when Mehta flipped goalie Jacob Markstrom to the Panthers -- but not the majority. He enters a situation with some complicated power dynamics behind the scenes, coupled with a lack of playoff success on the ice.What's it like being a new general manager trying to understand those dynamics?"Oh God, what's that show?" asked Mehta. "The second season took place in Italy. It had Stiffler's mom in it."HBO's "The White Lotus," perhaps?"Yeah. 'White Lotus,'" he said."I only watched the first season, but I felt like that was a show where there's literally no good guys and no bad guys. Every character is kind of flawed, but also has some endearing qualities," Mehta said. "It's a weird analogy, but instead of looking at [the team] in terms of who the good guys are and who I can trust, you just think about how every party has their own perspective. No one's the good guy. No one's wrong. Just hear everybody out, hear all sides of the story. The truth is somewhere in between."On "White Lotus," you eventually find out who the murderer is."But there's no murderer!" he said of the Devils. "That's what I'm saying. There is no murderer."After gathering information on his new team, Mehta made three quick decisions. He traded disgruntled restricted free agent defenseman Simon Nemec -- the No. 2 overall pick in 2022 -- to Calgary. He vowed to the veterans on his roster with trade protection that he'd honor it, a list that included 33-year-old defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who has a full no-movement clause, two more seasons at $9 million against the cap and saw his name swirl in trade rumors under Fitzgerald."I do have a lot of respect for Dougie's game. I hope he crushes it this year," Mehta said.His most significant decision was trading Markstrom, the team's starting goaltender for the last two seasons. That left the Devils in the hands of Jake Allen and Nico Daws, a cost-efficient but uninspiring tandem that left fans wondering if, yet again, the team would be subverted by its goaltending.Mehta's approach to his netminding was, perhaps, his most scrutinized philosophy so far as general manager. He made waves in an NHL.com interview when he said, "I'm reluctant to invest significant assets there instead of in areas where the results may be more predictable."Mehta didn't quite understand the pushback."I think a lot of opinions I've expressed about goaltending are turned into single quote memes or headlines. 'Oh, he doesn't care about goaltending' or something like that," he said. Mehta said that's a misconception. It's just that it's a position marinated in uncertainty in comparison to others."Even if we went out and got whoever you think is the best goaltender, the probability of that person actually performing as the best goaltender results-wise next year is far lower than if you took a bet on, say, whether Connor McDavid going to be in the top five in scoring. There's way higher probability of that bet being right than any bet on goaltending," Mehta said.It's hard to know what hand Mehta is playing right now until the final card is revealed: The one with Quinn Hughes on it. The defenseman wants to play with his brothers Jack and Luke, who want to play with him. Quinn has yet to sign a contract extension with the Minnesota Wild and is an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Devils are, of course, mentioned frequently while the mystery builds.Is Mehta keeping his powder dry for a run at Quinn Hughes if the Wild don't lock him down, either via trade or free agency?"As I've said all along, I don't want to comment on any player on another team. I'm just always looking for good players at good prices. So whether it's Quinn or any high-end player around the league ... I guess what I'm saying is, to some extent, when I make that decision, I almost have to ignore people's last names," Mehta said."My job is to win a Cup. My job is to freaking put a winning team on the ice. Whatever it takes. However [long] it takes."Like Mehta, I grew up a Devils fan. My fandom remains an inherent part of my hockey DNA, passed onto my children. We watch this sport because we love this sport, and to suppress the origins of that love is counterintuitive to connecting with one's audience.And so I'll be honest about this, too: Sunny Mehta is living the dream. Not just for a kid who sat in the nosebleeds at Brendan Byrne Arena like we both did, but for any hockey fan that has at one point convinced themselves that they could build a Stanley Cup winner if only given the chance, because they did it on a video game or because their message board trade proposals are that sick.He's one of us. He didn't play 1,000 NHL games. He's not a hockey nepo baby. He's a guy who waxes poetic about the magic of Alex Mogilny, the guy who felt a jolt of nostalgia when he saw Pat Verbeek talking with Scott Niedermayer at the NHL Draft Combine one day."I just walked up to them and I was like, '30 years ago, this would've been a dream for me, you guys,'" he said.Guys like Mehta and Tulsky are fantastic for the game because they gives fans a chance to live vicariously through one of their own -- even if we're not poker aces or nanotech scientists, which are the points of differentiation between us and these geniuses.We're fans. They're fans. And Mehta takes personal responsibility for delivering a Stanley Cup to his people for the first time since 2003."That's the goal. It's the dream. Every day I wake up still and I'm pinching myself. I can't see ever taking this role for granted because of how much it means to me," he said, nodding his head towards me."You understand, right?"I do. As hockey fans, I think we all do.Jump ahead:Winners, losers of the weekFavorite on-ice momentMust-see gamesPuck headlinesWINNERS AND LOSERSWinner: The Fightin' MacKinnonAccording to HockeyFights.com, Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon has had three fights in the NHL. His first was in Dec. 2024. His next two have come in a two week span this season.Mac dropped the gloves against Brandt Clarke of the Los Angeles Kings on Sept. 30 and then had a spirited bout with Roope Hintz during the Frozen Frenzy, coming up bloody against the Dallas center."The way we all grow up in the Maritimes, it's pretty gritty. Most guys from that area are pretty feisty," he said. "I might be done for the year, but you never know."Loser: InjuriesMacKinnon escaped his fight with some stitches and welts, which is welcome news, considering how the rest of the NHL seems to be its own hospital wing these days.Igor Shesterkin is done for the year with a knee injury. The Panthers are without Brad Marchand and Aleksander Barkov. Rasmus Dahlin is out. Brock Faber and Nico Sturm suffered horrific puck to the head injuries.The Hurricanes lost Jordan Staal for at least a month and then saw Taylor Hall injured. Matt Duchene is out three months. Mathew Barzal remains sidelined, as are Jake Sanderson and Travis Konecny.It's never good when the guys on the injury report could create a better starting lineup than 90% of the league.Winner: Committing to the WheelWhen I spoke with Alex DeBrincat last month, he wasn't sure if he'd remain a Red Wing for the entirety of the season. His contract was up, and he was looking at a hefty raise. But even as his now-former captain wanted out, the 28-year-old winger wanted to re-sign."I love playing for the Red Wings. My intention is obviously to stay in Detroit. We'll see what happens, I guess," he said.Here's what happened: DeBrincat signed a max term (seven years) deal worth $13 million annually. DeBrincat gets paid. Interim GM Shawn Horcoff gets a big win. And Red Wings fans can celebrate someone choosing to stay with the club at a time when others are trying escape.Loser: PWHL Vegas JerseysThe PWHL released the jersey designs for their four new expansion teams:Detroit's is fire. Hamilton's is pretty striking. San Jose's is giving "unlicensed NHL video game" but they're ultimately fine.But Vegas ... sweet Vegas. What are we doing? The P-Dub said the inspiration for this design was "inspired by the natural scenery of Southern Nevada," including navy stripes that "nod to the desert at night."I can't stress this enough: You're. In. Las. Vegas. A city of glamour and neon lights. A place whose iconography is conjured the minute someone says "Vegas." Where's the gaudiness? The glitz? I wanted aura and you gave me algae.Winner: Brady TkachukWe had him as a loser last week, so it's only fair we give him the 'W' for an absolutely dominant Frozen Frenzy performance: a natural hat trick in the second period of a 7-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was the first natural hatty in NHL history in which the goal-scorer's sibling assisted on all three goals, as Matthew did for Brady.In a wild stat, Brady is the ninth player in NHL history to have his brother assist on all three goals of a hat trick. The player for whom that happened the most: Daniel Sedin, who had Henrik assist on his hatty three times.Loser: DefenseTuesday night ended with 112 goals scored, three more than the previous record high in the Frozen Frenzy. (Thanks, Bruins' 6-3 win at San Jose!) It just missed setting a record for the most goals scored in a single day in NHL history, eclipsed only by the 114 goals scored on Nov. 4, 2023, which had 30 teams in action and the Penguins hanging 10 on the Sharks.Through 105 games, the NHL was averaging 3.10 goals per game and a league-wide save percentage of .891, which would be the lowest since 1992-93 if it held. Last season was the first with a sub-.900 league save percentage in 20 years. The lamps are being lit.FAVORITE OFF-ICE MOMENTAs a massive fan of competition cooking shows and the bromance between Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, the San Jose Sharks' Elevated Cupcake Experience might be the greatest thing to emerge from the baking world since sprinkles.In a stunt that benefitted the Sharks Foundation, Team Celebrini and Team Smith battled in the Frost Cupcake Factory kitchen to develop the M.E.C. -- the Most Elevated Cupcake. The cupcakes were blind judged by broadcaster Brodie Brazil, Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli and podcaster Cat Toffoli.We don't want to give away the winner, but we will say that the one great cupcake outweighed the several good cupcakes made by the losing team. And in the end, the Elevated Cupcake Cup was raised to the sky.MUST-SEE GAMESUtah Mammoth at Edmonton OilersThursday, Oct. 15, 9 p.m. ETThe Mammoth are 5-2-0 to start the season, looking like they're ready to level up from playoff neophyte to title contender in the West. The Oilers are 5-0-1 and have eschewed their firewagon hockey nature for a bit more structure -- they're down around eight shot attempts per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 year over year. Really looking forward to this as a test for both teams, and they'll run it back in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado AvalancheFriday, Oct. 16, 9 p.m. ETLook, I hate thinking this way. Blame Alex Ovechkin. But we're creeping forever closer to not having Battle of Cole Harbour games between Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon anymore, as the Penguins captain plays in his 22nd NHL season. Relish it. Cherish it. Hey, maybe they'll even have a fight for us.FROM YOUR HOCKEY FRIENDS AT ESPNRoger McQueen kept the Pixar "Cars" references coming during his NHL debut.Last week's NHL power rankings. This St. Louis Blues disrespect will not stand.One the latest edition of The Drop, Emily Kaplan and I dropped takes on the biggest news items in the NHL, Connor Hellebuyck's future to whether the league is headed to Texas with expansion.PUCK HEADLINESDATELINE: PhiladelphiaIt's said that life comes at you fast. Well, there's fast and then there's Philadelphia sports fast. In May, Rick Tocchet was coaching the Flyers in the second round of the playoffs, snapping a six-season playoff drought and eliminating the rival Penguins in the opening round. On October, fans were chanting for him to lose his job as the Flyers failed to win a game in their first eight tries.You know it's bad when fans are creating websites to encourage the dismissal of a coach. Fire The Taco went online this week -- the name is a reference to Trevor Zegras' nickname for Tocchet -- complete with a fan petition to sign and the ability to throw digital tacos at the Flyers bench, because "real tacos on the ice will get you escorted out by Gritty personally."Daniel, a die-hard Flyers fan, created the site. "The writing was on the wall that the fan base -- especially toxic Hockey Twitter - was going to start the Fire Tocchet talk. So I wanted to get ahead of it and create a space for all of us to voice our displeasure," he told ESPN.For what it's worth, the NHL sources I've spoken to believe there's zero chance that Tocchet gets fired for this atrocious start, with the blame falling squarely on the players, their preparation and execution. He's also in Year 2 of a five-year contract that reportedly pays him over $5 million a season. Comcast Spectacor would probably prefer not to pay a guy $15 million to not coach.DATELINE: Las VegasOne of the biggest stories in the NHL in the past week was the end of the Vegas Golden Knights' run of sellouts, which was broken last Thursday in a shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sin Bin had an interesting story looking into the potential causes for the nine-season sellout streak to end, with reasons ranging from the relationship between the team and its fans to the decline of Canadian tourism in Las Vegas, which was down over 17% last year.Sin Bin notes one interesting change in policy that might have impacted attendance: "The Golden Knights cut out ticket brokers during last year's playoffs, prioritizing additional revenue over relationships with partners they had worked with for a decade."The Golden Knights aren't the first NHL team to wrestle back tickets from brokers. The Rangers did that years ago, too. It's my understanding that the team's season-ticket renewal rate was a concern: Vegas was renewing between 60-70% in some years, with a target of 90%. The ticket broker issue was an inflection point: Season-ticket holders couldn't sell their own inventory because the brokers were undercutting them by flooding the market with available seats.Again, there's an imperfect storm of reasons why attendance is suddenly a topic of conversation for a team that played for the Stanley Cup last season. In fact one of them mentioned by Sin Bin is "success fatigue." (That sound you heard was 30 other fan bases doing a spit-take.)DATELINE: Jack HughesThe Devils have three wins on the season. Jack Hughes owns two of them with a pair of overtime goals, giving him 11 goals in the 3-on-3 during his NHL career.Watching Hughes and linemate Jesper Bratt operate in overtime basically justifies the format: Two offensive wizards exhibiting Sedins-like chemistry on open ice. The Devils know the advantage they have in the 3-on-3 with those two on the roster. This preseason, coach Sheldon Keefe decided to lean into it. He moved up overtime and shootout drills much earlier in training camp than usual -- not because camp was truncated but because "it had been an afterthought in the past," he said."It's part of the identity of our group. If we can get [to overtime], we're in a really good spot to get that second point," he said. "Generally speaking, overtime is a coin toss. A lot of stuff can happen and go wrong. But we certainly like the players that we have to be able on the right side of it more often than not."Especially when one of those players is Jack Hughes. Just ask Team Canada.
