Home / NHL NHL Devils Hire New Assistant GM The New Jersey Devils are adding an intriguing young executive to their front office. As the team officially announced on Monday, they are hiring Braden Birch to be their assistant… Matt Dolloff Updated May 12, 2026 8:45 AM EDT Bruce Bennett/Getty Images Share this story The New Jersey Devils are adding an intriguing young executive to their front office. As the team officially announced on Monday, they are hiring Braden Birch to be their assistant general manager under new GM Sunny Mehta. Birch is following Mehta to New Jersey from the Florida Panthers organization, where they worked in critical roles under GM Bill Zito. Mehta was the Panthers assistant GM and head of analytics, while Birch was their director of hockey operations and salary cap management. It's easy to see why Mehta and Birch were a coveted duo to get promotions and lead another team's front office, as they and Zito presided over the Panthers' rise to the top of the league. Florida won consecutive Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025 under their guidance. Birch particularly worked some magic last season to make the cap work with Brad Marchand's new extension, while keeping the team's championship core intact. The Devils are coming off a 42-37-3 season, which was good for only seventh in the Metropolitan Division. It will be one of the league's most intriguing front-office storylines going forward to see whether Mehta and Birch can replicate the Panthers model to restore the Devils to the level of sustained success they enjoyed in the '90s and early 2000s. Share this story Braden Birch new jersey devils Matt Dolloff Writer Related Stories New Jersey Devils Devils’ Success Hinges on Jack Hughes: Can New Roster Support a Playoff Run? Kristina Hall NHL Devils Position Five Prospects for NHL Impact This Season J. Mayhew NHL Devils GM Sunny Mehta Relies on Data-Driven Approach in First Offseason J. Mayhew Related Stories New Jersey Devils Devils’ Success Hinges on Jack Hughes: Can New Roster Support a Playoff Run? Kristina Hall NHL Devils Position Five Prospects for NHL Impact This Season J. Mayhew NHL Devils GM Sunny Mehta Relies on Data-Driven Approach in First Offseason J. Mayhew Trending Stories More from JerseyNewsroom.com
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