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New Jersey Devils‘ GM Sunny Mehta isn’t hiding what he sees in 22-year-old Amadeus Lombardi, who he acquired from the Detroit Red Wings for a fourth-round pick back in late June. He sees the young forward as a calculated bet on upside — the type of player Mehta learned to identify during his time with the Florida Panthers. Days later, they signed Lombardi to a two-year deal. “It’s depth, but to me it’s more than that because it’s also a bet on him being much more than depth,” Mehta said in his post-free agency presser. “We feel there’s upside there.” Lombardi was acquired for a fourth-round pick after he posted 42 points in 47 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) last season. Mehta said the Devils’ scouting and analytics departments identified Lombardi as one of their “prime targets.” Lombardi was entering his first season of waiver eligibility, while Detroit had considerable organizational depth. “He was available because of his first-time waiver status,” Mehta said. “And also the depth that happens to be in Detroit. So, he was, you know, kind of the quote unquote odd man out.” He had spent three seasons in Detroit’s organization waiting for his NHL opportunity. Injuries slowed him down over the past two seasons, but he still produced 40 points in 44 games in 2024-25 and 42 points in 47 games last season. The Devils saw the opportunity and jumped on it. Now, Lombardi gets a chance to prove Mehta right. A Fresh Start in New Jersey The trade caught Lombardi completely by surprise, which he revealed on an episode of the Hockeytown West Podcast. But after the initial shock, conversations with Mehta and head coach Sheldon Keefe quickly made him excited about the move. Mehta explained what the Devils liked about his game, particularly his creativity, speed and skill. Keefe echoed those sentiments. For Lombardi, that validation meant a lot. “It was like I was being drafted again,” he said. He felt like he was joining an organization that genuinely wanted him. Those conversations have given Lombardi plenty of motivation heading into training camp. “It just makes me want to, you know, work harder for them so I can show up and be like, yeah, you guys made the right choice.” Lombardi Can Simply Be Himself Lombardi spent years in Detroit. He said that familiarity could sometimes make a player grip his stick tighter while trying to fix what the organization wanted fixed. But now that’s all out the window in New Jersey. Especially knowing the Devils wanted to acquire him because they like his game so much. “I think it kind of takes maybe takes a little bit of pressure off of you because it’s like, okay, you go in new, first impression,” Lombardi said. “You just play your game. You be dynamic.” That is exactly what he plans to do. “Going into this situation in New Jersey, I’m just going to, yeah, try and just be myself,” he added. For a player who has spent the past several years waiting for an NHL opportunity, that could be a valuable change. While the Devils’ forward group is crowded, it benefits Lombardi that Mehta seems solely focused on building the best possible team. If Lombardi has a much better camp than other bottom-six guys who have been around the league for a while, he’ll earn that spot. Experience alone won’t matter as much as what a player can currently bring to the table. There *Is* Still Pressure, Though… Lombardi’s situation isn’t completely without pressure. He remains waiver eligible entering the 2026-27 season. That means if the Devils decide he needs more time in the AHL, they cannot simply assign him to Utica. Lombardi would first have to clear waivers, giving the other 31 NHL teams an opportunity to claim him. He already understood that reality before Detroit traded him. “The past two years it was a situation where I was kind of, you know, knocking on the door,” Lombardi said. “Kind of waiting for my opportunity. I had waivers this year, so I thought that if I went into camp really, really impressed and pushed to make the [Red Wings], that’d be great.” Now he gets to make that push in Newark. The Devils, meanwhile, have to determine whether Lombardi has done enough to earn that NHL roster spot or whether they are willing to risk losing him on waivers to continue his development in Utica. Mehta Has Made These Bets Before The most intriguing part of the Lombardi acquisition might be what it says about Mehta’s philosophy. When discussing Lombardi, Mehta pointed back to his time with the Panthers and players such as Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaeghe. Those players were not guaranteed to become what they eventually became. “It’s not like we knew all those players were going to achieve those ceilings,” Mehta said. “But we thought they were smart bets.” That’s precisely what Lombardi represents. A smart bet. According to GMNHL, ~79% of fourth-rounders play fewer than 100 NHL games in their career. 59% don’t make the NHL at all. And even if they do, it generally takes years to get there. The Devils gave up that pick for a young player they genuinely believe can make an NHL impact this season. That seems like a risk worth taking. In addition to Lombardi’s raw AHL point production, he’s continued to improve his skating, shot, defensive game and faceoffs with each year. Clearly, the Devils are happy with what they’ve seen. “We need to find upside,” Mehta said. “We need to find hidden gems, so to speak.” He doesn’t need to become Forsling or Verhaeghe for this acquisition to be a success. If he develops into a legitimate NHL contributor while on an inexpensive contract, the Devils will have found significant value. But first, Lombardi has to earn the opportunity. Fortunately for the Devils, he seems like he’s in the right mindset to do so.