Devils make changes on and off the ice, betting a healthy core bounces back

The New Jersey Devils made significant changes this offseason, both in the front office and on the roster, after a disappointing 2025-26 season that saw them miss the playoffs. The bet is straightforward: a healthy, talented core, guided by new leadership, bounces back in a wide-open Metropolitan Division.

New leadership

The most notable change came off the ice, with the Devils hiring former Florida Panthers executive Sunny Mehta as general manager. Bringing in a new voice from a championship organization signals a fresh direction for a franchise looking to break through. How Mehta shapes the roster over time will define the Devils' trajectory, and his early moves offer the first clues.

Reshaping the crease, keeping the core

In net, the Devils traded goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the Panthers, acquiring veteran forward Evan Rodrigues in the deal and signing winger Anthony Mantha to add scoring depth. Crucially, though, Mehta has chosen to keep New Jersey's core intact, including brothers Jack and Luke Hughes, Timo Meier, and Nico Hischier — the latter signing a five-year extension to secure a franchise pillar. Preserving that nucleus while tweaking the edges reflects a belief that the talent is there and health, not a teardown, is the answer.

Season outlook

The Devils enter 2026-27 as a bounce-back candidate in a Metropolitan Division that lacks a clear second-best team behind champion Carolina. When healthy, New Jersey's core — led by the electric Hughes brothers and the steady Hischier — is good enough to compete with anyone. The questions are the ones that have dogged them: health, which has repeatedly derailed promising seasons, and goaltending after the Markstrom trade. If the core stays upright and the new-look crease holds, the Devils have the talent to return to the playoffs and more. Mehta's arrival brings fresh optimism to a team that simply needs things to break right.