2. Scott Niedermayer
Most New Jersey Devils fans probably never would have thought that all-star defenseman Scott Niedermayer would have donned a purple Mighty Ducks of Anaheim sweater. Well, that happened and to makes matters worse, the 2004 Norris Trophy winner went on to win a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07.
One could probably make the argument that Niedermayer was the most skilled Devils player in franchise history, and No. 27 never failed to meet expectations as he’s one of five Devils skaters to win all three Cups with the team.
The Edmonton, Alberta native was selected by New Jersey with the third-overall selection at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft and laced up with the skates with the Devils for parts of 14 seasons. The smooth skating defenseman was an assistant captain for a majority of his tenure in Jersey and was even the lone player to ever wear the captain’s letter “C” during the Scott Stevens era back in 2003-04.
The 6-foot-1 skater played in 892 games with the Devils while scoring 112 goals and collecting 364 assists for 476 total points. Niedermayer had a career year with the Devils back in 1997-98 when he recorded 57 points (14G-43A), and managed to have a similar season in 2003-04 (54PTS) when the Devils needed him most; after Stevens missed a majority of the season due to a concussion injury.
Niedermayer was everything and more that one could ask for and was the ideal Devil during his time with the team. Though, Niedermayer made the decision to leave New Jersey and wanted to play alongside with his brother, Rob, in Anaheim with the Ducks. The Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman signed a four-year deal with the Ducks during the 2004 offseason and retired as a Duck after the 2010 season.
One of the greatest Devils of all-time to not finish his NHL career with New Jersey is ranked in the top 10 for a number of all-time leader categories in team history such as games played (sixth), assists (second), points (fifth) and others.
