Top 50 New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils first began in Kansas City Scouts, but a poor product and poorer attendance forced relocation to Colorado after two years. The Colorado Rockies hardly fared better, and six years later they were the Devils.
It took years for the franchise to become successful in the Garden State, but a dedication to defense, a superstar Goalie (Martin Brodeur) netted the Devils three Stanley Cups (1995, 2000 & 2003).
This list is up to the end of the 2023/24 season.
Note: Hockey lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
Prior to his arrival in New Jersey (but after he was drafted), Chris Terreri was the MVP of the NCAA Tournament, although his team (Providence) lost the final game to RPI. After a cup of coffee with the Devils in 1986-87, he sat out to participate for the United States in…
Jay Pandolfo was the 32nd Overall Pick in 1993, which occurred a year into his tenure at Boston University. The native of Winchester, Massachusetts, stayed with the Terriers for three more years, and as a senior, he was the Hockey East Player of the Year.
The Hall of Fame pro career of Brendan Shanahan began in New Jersey, where the Left Wing was taken Second Overall behind Pierre Turgeon in the 1987 Draft.
In 1983, the New Jersey Devils used their 12thRound Pick, a throwaway on Soviet Defenseman Alexei Kasatonov. There was not a lot of hope that they would ever get him, but you never knew. In 1990, after three Olympics and 12 seasons with the Red Army, Kasatonov arrived in New Jersey.
The NHL brain trusts had not quite yet comfortable drafting Russian players, though 1990 was arguably the last season where the GMs would be gun-shy. In this draft, the New Jersey Devils had an absolute steal in the 11thRound in Left Wing Valeri Zelepukin.
A Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, Lyle Odelein was traded straight up for Stephane Richer before the 1996-97 Season.
After ten seasons in the NHL, Dainius Zubrus signed with the New Jersey Devils as a Free Agent, bringing his versatile play to the Garden State.
Peter Stastny was an absolute superstar with the Quebec Nordiques where he averaged 1.42 Points per Game, and was a six-time All-Star. Sadly, for Stastny the Nordiques were not that good, and the rebuilding team traded the Czech superstar to New Jersey late in the 1989-90 Season.
Adam Larsson was the Fourth Overall Pick in the 2011 Draft, and the Swedish Defenseman made the Devils roster immediately, scoring 18 Points as a rookie and showing shutdown defensive skills.
Dave Andreychuk was a grizzled veteran when he arrived in New Jersey at the 1996 Trade Deadline.