The New Jersey Devils have made major changes to their front office and roster this offseason, with a clear emphasis on strengthening their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
Sunny Mehta was hired as the Devils' general manager on April 16, replacing Tom Fitzgerald. Braden Birch joined as assistant general manager and will also serve as Utica's new general manager. Mehta has brought an aggressive approach from his time with the Florida Panthers.
Several player moves followed. Defenseman Anton Silayev signed an entry-level deal on June 1. Goaltender Nico Daws received a two-year extension. Trades brought in Étienne Morin, Amadeus Lombardi, Jesper Boqvist, Evan Rodrigues and Ben Steeves. Free-agent signings included Riley Tufte and Vladislav Kolyachonok.
New staff members include Leo Luongo as director of goaltending, A.J. MacLean as assistant coach and Dan Stewart as goaltending coach. Mehta said the organization is treating the AHL roster as a priority alongside the NHL team.
"Utica needs to be something that we make more of a priority," Mehta said in a recent media call.
