Sunny Mehta's First Move: Hiring Braden Birch and What It Says About the Devils' Plan

The New Jersey Devils have made their opening move in the front office overhaul. New General Manager Sunny Mehta has hired Braden Birch to be the team's Assistant General Manager and General Manager of the AHL's Utica Comets, according to a team announcement on May 11. Translation: Mehta is bringing in someone he knows and trusts, and that matters.

Both Mehta and Birch are coming straight out of the Florida Panthers organization. Mehta spent years as Florida's Assistant General Manager before taking the Devils job. Birch, 36 years old, started with the Panthers ahead of the 2016-17 season as a special assistant to General Manager Bill Zito. After one season in that role, he got promoted to Director of Hockey Operations, where he specialized in salary cap management. The two clearly worked closely together in Miami, and now they're building something new in Jersey.

What Mehta Said About His First Hire

In the announcement, Mehta didn't hold back: "Braden will be an extremely valuable addition to our senior hockey operations group. His blend of on-ice experience, management background, and intellect will serve him well in his new role. Braden will work to bolster all areas of our operation, and I look forward to him joining our existing front office, where his personality and work ethic will fit in excellently."

Translation again: Mehta is confident in Birch's ability to stabilize operations across the board. This isn't a narrow hire. It's a "fix everything" kind of move.

The Utica Problem That Birch Has to Solve

Now comes the hard part. The Utica Comets haven't made the Calder Cup playoffs since the 2022-23 season. This year? They missed the postseason by losing on the last day of the regular season to the Rochester Americans. The defense held up. The goals didn't. Utica was one of only six teams across the league to score fewer than 200 goals in the regular season.

Birch will need to get to work on the free agent market immediately. His job is clear: fix the offense so Utica gets back to the playoffs in 2026-27. That's not just rebuilding a minor league roster. That's proving the Devils organization can compete at every level.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.