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Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup Proves Devils GM Right
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- Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup Proves Devils GM Right
Andrew Maclean, New Jersey Devils
For many New Jersey Devils fans, seeing their division rival Carolina Hurricanes hoist the Stanley Cup was likely a painful experience. But at the same time, it also proved a point that new general manager Sunny Mehta made during his introductory press conference:
"I don't really necessarily gravitate towards thinking that you have to play a certain style to win," said Mehta. "Obviously, we played a somewhat idiosyncratic style with the [ Florida ] Panthers . But I mean, listen, the [ Tampa Bay ] Lightning played a considerably different style than we did, and they won two cups. So I think we have to play to what our identity is, and not kind of do it the other way where we put the cart before the horse."
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While Mehta worked with the Panthers, they succeeded through playing a highly physical, in-your-face, push the envelope brand of hockey. They threw over 11% more hits than any NHL team. It worked incredibly well for the talent they possessed.
Mehta Was Right.
But these Hurricanes only furthered his point. After being just 18th in hits during the regular season, they ranked ninth among 16 playoff teams in hits-per-60 minutes. With less size to their advantage, they built on suffocation and wearing the opposition down by constantly having the puck, swarming opponents all over the ice and forcing mistakes.
Many doubted their construction and style would ever lead to a championship, even if the analytics touted them as one of the NHL's strongest teams year-in and year-out. Those doubters are now silent.
Naturally, the repeated losing for the Devils in recent seasons has led some to believe the core should be blown up. But with such a lack of depth and a barrage of injuries, the core pieces haven't been given a fair chance to succeed.
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With everything else as-is, the Devils were 26-14-2 (.643 PTS%) with a fully healthy Jack Hughes . That percentage, extrapolated over a full season, would've been good for 7th in the NHL. They may not be as far away from contention as their dismal season made it appear.
Hearing Mehta utter those words should've been music to Devils fans' ears. In recent seasons, it's appeared the organization started to move away from the quick-paced, skill game that made them successful in 2022-23. An emphasis on size and physicality only stunted their progression from 2023-24 onwards. But Mehta seems all-in on building to the players' strengths — not what anybody else thinks or feels.
Still Plenty of Hope in Jersey
For as troubling as it may feel at the moment, the Devils have a ton of offensive talent. They had eight players with 35+ points this past season; in 2014-15, they had two such players.
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Now, it's about adding the correct depth and shoring up the defense, as well as potentially altering the goaltending situation, to supplement this talented core.
The one thing that's quickly become evident with Mehta is that he's unafraid to do what he feels is best. "I'm up here in this chair now, and there's no doubt in my mind that there's gonna be times where fans disagree with me," he said during his intro presser. "And there's gonna be times where they might question my decisions. But the one thing they'll never be able to question is my sincerity, my passion and my loyalty to this franchise."
At the end of the day, fans need to place their full trust in Mehta to steer them in the right direction — at least unless proven otherwise. With his successful background in Florida, plus his diehard Jersey roots, he deserves that grace.
For fans clamoring for a dismantling of the core, they may very well end up disappionted. The Devils' core deserves a shot at being supplemented with players who fit their mold. Not the other way around — in Mehta's terms, putting "the cart before the horse."
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