New Jersey Devils

Team Summary

The New Jersey Devils are an NHL team playing in the Metropolitan Division in Newark, New Jersey. The team was established in 1982 after the Colorado Rockies (formerly known as the Kansas City Scouts) relocated to East Rutherford after six years of filing to establish a franchise in Denver.

The Devils found success in New Jersey, winning three Stanley Cups between 1995-2003 under the guidance of general manager Lou Lamoriello, head coach Jacques Lemaire, and hall of fame goaltender Martin Brodeur.

Under Lamoriello, the Devils were one of the first teams to implement the neutral zone trap, emphasizing an elevated defensive posture in the neutral zone and forcing turnovers.

Though highly effective at making the game a bit more evenly spread regardless of team skill, the rest of the league quickly adopted the neutral zone trap. It resulted in significantly slower-paced games, ultimately resulting in what is known as the “dead puck” era of the 2000s.

New Jersey Devils Standings

The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The team competes in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference in the NHL. The Devils have a rich history, having won multiple championships in the past.

Team History

The Devils franchise started with the establishment of the Kansas City Scouts in 1974 as the final team of the NHL’s expansion period and the Washington Capitals.

Both teams struggled immensely after joining the league, with the Scouts going 15-54-11 in their inaugural season and following it up with an atrocious 12-56-12. After only two years, the franchise relocated to Denver renamed the Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies didn’t fare much better, with the best record in their six-year stay in Colorado being a measly 22-45-13 season in 1980-1981. After the team owner, Jack Vickers could no longer afford the team due to a failed business expense, the team was sold once again, this time to John McMullen in New Jersey.

After rebranding to the Devils, the franchise finally had long-term stability and success. Though they continued to struggle for five years after their move to the East Coast, the Devils eventually made the conference finals in their first-ever playoff appearance in 1988.

In 1995, the Devils won their first of three Stanley Cups, winning again in 2000 and 2003 and appearing in the finals in 2001 and 2012.

New Jersey Devils Key Stats

The Devils are still in the midst of a rebuild initiated around 2015, though a surprise playoff appearance in 2017 made things a bit more complicated.

The Devils currently sit at 5th place in the very top-heavy Metropolitan Division with 33 points; the next team, the 4th place Pittsburgh Penguins, are sitting at 45 points on the year.

This season, there’s a steep hill to climb for the Devils if they want to make it into the playoff picture, but it isn’t impossible.

Centerman Jack Hughes, drafted first overall in 2019, is having a breakout season despite struggling with injury. The young forward is absolutely on fire right now and has 20 points in 18 games, scoring 12 points in his last 5.

This past year, the Devils also looked to bolster their blue line during the offseason, signing Dougie Hamilton to a seven-year contract worth $63 million. After scoring seven goals and 13 assists, he suffered a broken jaw after taking a puck to the face and will likely miss a significant amount of time.

This season, forward Jesper Bratt is the team leader in points with ten goals and 22 assists and has been a consistent threat on the top line. Goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood hasn’t had the best season, but it’s hard to blame him with the Devils’ lack of defensive depth.

The goaltender has a .899 SV% this year with a record of 9-7-3, while backup goaltender Jonathan Bernier has a record of 4-4-1 and an SV% of .902.

Championships Won by the Team

The Devils won their first Stanley Cup under head coach Jacques Lemaire in 1995 in a shortened season due to a lockout, sweeping the Detroit Red Wings in a huge upset.

Claude Lemieux won the Conn Smyth, leading the team in goals scored with 13. Martin Brodeur was also phenomenal, posting a .927 SV% and a 16-4 record during the playoff run.

The second Stanley Cup would come five years later in the 1999-2000 season, this time under head coach Larry Robinson after beating the Dallas Stars in a 4-2 series.

Team captain Scott Stevens won the playoff MVP that year, leading the team to success in the twilight of his career at age 35. Once again, Martin Brodeur was excellent, this time with a .927 SV% and a 16-7 record. Though they won the Eastern Conference the following year, they were bested by Joe Sakic and the Avalanche in 7 games.

The Devils won their 3rd Stanley Cup in 2003, beating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 7 games. The Devils did not receive the Conn Smyth for any player despite winning the cup. The award was given to Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastion Giguere.

Despite this, the Devils still had some impressive stats- once again, Brodeur had a fantastic .934 SV% and a 16-8 record. At the same time, forward Jaime Langenbrunner and defenseman Scott Niedermayer led the team in scoring with 18 points each.

The Devils would make the Stanley Cup finals one more time in their franchise history in 2012 but were ultimately defeated by the Los Angeles Kings in 6 games.

Important Team Events

In the 2016 season, the New Jersey Devils acquired 1st overall draft pick, Taylor Hall, from the Edmonton Oilers for right-shot defenseman Adam Larsson.

Widely considered one of the most one-sided trades committed by Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, Hall would go on to have a monster year with the Devils in the 2017-2018 season.

Hall would go on to score 39 goals and 54 assists in 72 games played and secured the Hart Trophy as the most valuable member of his team league-wide.

Though the Tampa Bay Lightning ultimately bested them in 5 games, the Hall trade is widely remembered as one of the most lopsided trades in recent NHL history.

Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur had a notorious rivalry with New York Rangers forward Sean Avery. Though there were multiple instances of the two clashing, the most memorable event occurred on April 13th, 2008.

After being awarded a 5-on-3 powerplay against the Devils, Avery stood in front of Brodeur as a screen, waving his arms and stick for the entire time to distract the goaltender from play.

The NHL addressed Avery’s tactics immediately, adding the “Avery Rule” to prevent agitators from distracting goaltenders in future games.

Top Players

The Devils have had several Hall of Fame players in franchise history, including Martin Brodeur. Brodeur currently holds the title for most games played (1259), wins (691), minutes (74,083), and shutouts (124), and was in net for all 3 of the team’s Stanley Cup wins; despite this, Brodeur never won a Conn Smyth trophy. Brodeur retired during the 2014-2015 season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

Forward and long-time team captain Scott Stevens is another Hall of Fame player that played with New Jersey, playing with the Devils from 1991-2004. Stevens currently holds the record for plus/minus (282) and amassed 430 points as a defenseman.

Another name popular with the Devils is Patrik Elias, who played for the team from 1995-2016. Elias holds the franchise records for goals scored (408), assists scored (617), points (1025), power play goals (113), and hat tricks (8). Elias has not yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame despite his incredible success with the team.

Scott Niedermayer is one of the best players to wear a Devils sweater, winning the Norris trophy with New Jersey in 2004 after a 54 point season. Widely considered one of the best defensemen, Niedermayer fit in exceptionally well to the Devils’ defensive-oriented system and won two cups with the team.

Top Coaches

The Devils have had 18 coaches in franchise history, currently led by Lindy Ruff after his hire in 2020. Jacques Lemaire was the first coach to win a Stanley Cup for the team, serving as the head coach from 1993-1998 and winning the Jack Adams award in 1994. Lemaire finished his tenure in New Jersey with a record of 199-122-57 and a .605 win percentage.

Larry Robinson was the next head coach to win a cup with the team, serving from 2000-2002 after taking over for Robbie Ftorek. His takeover turned the Devils’ season around in 2000, sneaking into the playoffs and becoming one of the lowest-seeded teams ever to win the cup.

Pat Burns was the last coach to lead New Jersey to the cup, acting as head coach from 2002-2005. Burns would finish with an overall record of 89-45-22-8, strong enough for a .634 win percentage. If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.