Former Florida Panthers Captain and Staffer Is Latest to Join Devils Front Office

Nairavoice | Sep 17, 2026 1d ago 309 0 2 min read

Former Florida Panthers Captain and Staffer Is Latest to Join Devils Front Office

FORT LAUDERDALE — Bryan McCabe left the Florida Panthers front office earlier this summer. On Wednesday, the team’s former captain officially landed with the New Jersey Devils.

McCabe is the latest Florida front-office member to join the Devils since the end of last season.

New GM Sunny Mehta was one of Bill Zito’s most trusted advisors; he brought Braden Birch, one of the Florida’s top cap managers, with him.

McCabe will report to Birch.

“It’s really hard to replace people, but it’s a good thing where, hopefully, other folks will want to come thinking that ‘hey, maybe I can get a chance to grow and expand my opportunities’,” Bill Zito said on Wednesday.

“It’s part of our game, and it’s part of what we’re all about. We want everyone to be successful and happy. They move along. Players do. I did. … It’s a positive thing.”

McCabe, who is now the Devils’ VP of Prospect Personnel and Assistant General Manager of the AHL Utica Comets, spent the past 14 seasons with the Panthers in various player development roles.

A defenseman who played 15 seasons in the NHL, McCabe was traded to the Panthers in 2008 from the Toronto Maple Leafs after he had already played from the New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, and Chicago Blackhawks.

McCabe spent parts of three seasons with Florida and was named captain in 2009-10.

He ended his career in 2011 with the New York Rangers after scoring 145 goals with 528 points in 1,135 games.

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In 2024, he finally became a Stanley Cup champion with the Panthers.

“To be part of it, it has obviously been a long time coming,” McCabe said not long after Florida won its first championship.

“My first NHL game was 29 years [ago], so, yeah, a dream come true just to be a part of this whole thing with this group. This organization, making my home here, it has been very special.”