Who have been the best Devils of the last 25 years? This post dives into that topic and who would make up their Quarter-Century teams.
Last weekend, the NHL announced that they plan to select and celebrate Quarter-Century Teams for all 32 NHL clubs, starting with the Blues and Blackhawks on December 30th and 31st in the lead up to the Winter Classic. And while it might be a bit of a stretch to be already naming Quarter-Century teams for franchises like the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken, the New Jersey Devils (whose team will be announced on January 22nd) will indeed be a part of their celebration as the league builds through their three phases with this exercise culminating with 25 players being named to the NHL’s Quarter-Century Team.
We are just a couple of weeks away from the year 2025, meaning that we are a couple of weeks away from being a quarter of the way through the 21st century. For those of us who are old enough to remember when the calendar turned from 1999 to the year 2000, I’m sorry for making you realize just how old you and I both are.
With that in mind, you are probably asking questions like “who is selecting these teams”, “what is the criteria for making said teams”, and “why should I care”. It’s not my place to tell you what you should or shouldn’t care about, but these types of celebrations are for the fans. There have been numerous historically significant things to happen in regard to the Devils in the first 25 years of this century. After all, the Devils were the first Stanley Cup champion this century, and a lot of notable players have donned the red, white, and black throughout the years.
To answer the questions that I posed though, one needs to look no further than the press release the league sent out.
“Starting at the Discover NHL Winter Classic later this month and continuing daily through January, the NHL will reveal each Club’s First and Second Quarter-Century Teams. Both the First Team and Second Team will consist of three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender. Each Club’s First and Second Quarter-Century Teams will be selected by a panel of media, retired players and executives specific to that Club. Players under consideration for selection are those who have appeared in a game for the respective franchises since Jan. 1, 2000.”
Nobody from the Devils or the NHL has asked for my two cents on who should make said team, which is a shame since you know if they did, I would get it right. But just because the league didn’t ask for my opinion doesn’t mean that I don’t have one or that I’m not going to write about this and predict who will be on the teams anyways.
Before I begin though, I do want to point out a few things with the NHL’s criteria, my personal criteria and what should be used to differentiate between candidates, and add one stipulation of my own. The NHL explicitly says each team will consist of three forwards. Since the league isn’t stipulating positions, I’m not going to lock myself into selecting a left wing, a center, and a right wing for each team. If that’s how it works out so be it, but I’m not going to hesitate to select three wingers for a team if that’s how the dominoes fall. The league also doesn’t say that I have to consider a player’s handedness, so the defensive pairings might consist or two left-handed or two right-handed defensemen.
The league also says that players who have appeared in a game for the franchise since January 1st, 2000 should be under consideration. What it doesn’t say is whether or not anything that player might have accomplished prior to that date should be considered. Seeing as this is a Quarter Century Team for the time period between 1/1/00 and 12/31/24, I will NOT be considering anything a player had done prior to 1/1/00. Nor will I attempt to futureproof this list and assume that any Devils players who are currently active will continue to do what they’re doing in future years. Since this article is being published on December 18th, 2024 and written in the days beforehand, I’m going to make the cutoff date New Jersey’s 4-1 win over Chicago on December 14th, 2024. Any stats accumulated after that date will not count in regards to this exercise.
Also, in an attempt to remove any personal biases when selecting the teams, I will not be taking into account how any player ultimately left New Jersey (if they ever left at all). And it goes without saying, but since this is for the Devils Quarter-Century Team, I will not be considering anything a player did outside of New Jersey. No Olympics. No International Play. Nothing from juniors or amateur play. No college hockey. No accolades with another franchise (ex. I will not be giving Scott Niedermayer credit for winning a Stanley Cup with the Ducks). This is a Devils list, so I don’t care that Martin Brodeur was a St. Louis Blue for a few weeks, that Ilya Kovalchuk “retired”, or that Scott Gomez signed with that team across the Hudson River. I will consider their body of work in New Jersey within that specified timeframe and nothing more.
The NHL did not provide any other criteria when it comes to selecting players for this team, leaving it up to the individual voters to determine that. So I will be using the stats that you would expect to be used such as goals, assists, points for skaters and wins and save percentage for goaltenders. While I will not be including postseason stats along with regular season totals in my writeups, I will be considering all sorts of factors such as whether the player was a part of a Stanley Cup winner (or runner up), whether or not the player won any major awards, and whether or not the player wore a letter during their time in New Jersey (leadership, while subjective, does matter).
Without further adieu, lets begin with some quick thoughts on who made my Devils Quarter-Century second team before getting into who made the first team.
Second Team
Goaltender – Cory Schneider
Seven seasons (2013-2020)
311 games played
115 wins, 133 losses, 50 overtime losses
.918 save percentage, 2.50 GAA, 17 shutouts
With Martin Brodeur aging, Lou Lamoriello pulled off a heist at the 2013 NHL Draft in Newark, New Jersey, swapping the 9th overall pick to the Vancouver Canucks for longtime backup netminder Cory Schneider.
Schneider, long-ready for a starting role, was brilliant throughout his first three seasons in New Jersey. He posted a .924 save percentage from 2013-16 and saved 4.5, 18.2, and 19.4 goals above expected in that timeframe.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Devils roster was in need of a long overdue teardown and rebuild, and while Schneider was brilliant, he didn’t get much help from the skaters in front of him. Schneider continued to put up ok numbers as the 2010s rolled on, but injuries caught up to him and sapped his effectiveness. Schneider was ultimately bought out of the final two years of his contract after the 2019-20 season.
Considering how much of a workhorse Martin Brodeur was throughout the 2000s and 2010s, there’s not a lot of good options for who is the second best goaltender for the Devils since the year 2000 actually is. But Schneider is far and away the best option and an easy choice for second team.
Defenseman – Andy Greene
Fourteen seasons (2006-2020)
923 games played
49 goals, 197 assists, 246 points
1x Stanley Cup runner-up (2012)
Served as Devils captain from 2015-2020
The perennially underrated Greene is the epitome of “worked for everything he ever got”.
Greene, a former undrafted player, signed with the Devils in 2006. He debuted during the 2006-07 season and due to his lunch pail and hard hat workmanlike approach, he became a mainstay on the Devils top defensive pairing and penalty kill unit throughout the late 2000s and most of the 2010s. Greene wound up appearing in 350 consecutive games at one point, which at the time was the third-longest ironman streak in franchise history, and was a leader for the Devils on and off the ice. Named captain in 2015, Greene served as a veteran presence on a Devils team in the midst of a rebuild right up until he was traded to the New York Islanders in 2020.
There might be other defensemen who were either far more offensively gifted or experienced higher highs than Greene did, but Greene’s longevity, underrated defensive play, and leadership earns him a spot on the second team.
Defenseman – Brian Rafalski
6.5 seasons (2000-2007)
505 games played
40 goals, 252 assists, 292 points
2-time Stanley Cup champion (2000, 2003)
1-time Stanley Cup runner-up (2001)
All-Rookie Team (2000)
Another former undrafted player, Rafalski sailed under the radar after his collegiate career ended. Rafalski would play professionally in Sweden and Finland before the Devils signed him to a contract for the 1999-2000 season.
Rafalski debuted that season and was an immediate contributor as a frequent defensive partner of Scott Stevens and puck-moving defenseman. He made the All-Rookie team that season and as he gained more experience, he earned the trust of numerous coaching staffs to be able to handle top pairing minutes. To this day, Rafalski ranks fourth for most points by a Devils defenseman for their Devils career, trailing only Niedermayer, Stevens, and Bruce Driver.
After seven seasons and two Stanley Cup championships in New Jersey, the Michigan native chose to sign with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent in 2007. Rafalski did enough though in his seven seasons in New Jersey to earn a spot on the second team.
Forward – Jack Hughes
Six seasons (2019-present)
339 games played
127 goals, 193 assists, 320 points
Has served as an alternate captain since 2022-23
The first overall pick of the 2019 Entry Draft, Jack Hughes has been the playmaker the Devils have envisioned him becoming.
Hughes’s career got off to a slow start with 52 points in his first 117 games, but he has since adjusted to the rigors of the NHL and exploded offensively, with 268 points in his last 222 games, a 1.20 points per game pace over an 82 game season. Hughes had one of the greatest seasons by a forward in franchise history, setting the franchise record for points in a season with 99 in 2022-23 and coming within striking distance of Brian Gionta’s franchise record for goals in a season.
Hughes registered 74 points in an injury-riddled 62 game campaign in 2023-24 that ultimately ended with season-ending shoulder surgery. Now fully healthy, Jack has not only continued to be one of the Devils catalysts offensively, but has become more well-rounded as a two-way player overall under new coach Sheldon Keefe, earning accolades for his defensive play and time on the penalty kill unit.
Other forwards may have experienced higher highs as a Devil, but arguably none of them are as gifted offensively as Hughes is. At nearly a PPG-pace for his Devils career, Hughes is an easy choice for second team despite only being in his sixth year in the NHL.
Forward – Jesper Bratt
Eight seasons (2017-present)
504 games played
142 goals, 258 assists, 400 points
Ever since beating the odds and making it to the NHL as a former 162nd overall draft pick in 2016, Jesper Bratt has continued to improve every single season to the point where he’s now one of the top scoring wingers in all of the NHL.
Bratt burst onto the scene in 2017-18 with 35 points in 74 games, and yet, was inexplicably left off of Calder Trophy ballots, as fellow Devils rookies Hischier and Will Butcher received votes instead. No worries, as Bratt continued to improve, get bigger and stronger, and earn the trust of the subsequent coaching staffs to where he earned a larger role on the Devils. Bratt rewarded that trust with a breakout 2021-22 season where he tallied 73 points in 72 games and has gone on to show that was no fluke, with 270 points in his last 273 games.
Bratt will remain a fixture of the Devils Top Six for many years to come, but through eight seasons already, he has done enough to lock in his place on the second team.
Forward – Taylor Hall
Four seasons (2016-2020)
211 games played
76 goals, 132 assists, 208 points
Hart Trophy Winner (2018)
First-Team All-NHL (2018)
Served as an alternate captain
With only four seasons in New Jersey (a total that is closer to two and a half when considering an injury-riddled 2018-19 season and a trade to Arizona in December of 2019), it would take a remarkable feat for this player to make the cut.
Enter Taylor Hall and his 2017-18 Hart Trophy winning season.
The Devils were a few years into their rebuild at this point, and they were not expected to compete for a playoff spot, let alone actually make it. But Hall put the Devils on his back with a second half for the ages in 2018. After January 1st of that year, Hall scored 27 goals and 30 assists in 40 games to almost single-handedly carry the Devils into the playoffs. And believe me when I tell you the Devils needed almost every last one of those points from Hall just to win enough games to secure a wild card spot. All-in-all, Hall turned in one of the greatest seasons by a skater in franchise history, if not THE greatest season, and became the only Devils player to win league MVP in the process.
With his contract set to expire after the 2019-20 season and the aforementioned trade to Arizona, Hall didn’t stay in New Jersey long enough to build a case to be on the first team. Some might feel that Hall wasn’t in New Jersey long enough to even be on the second team, especially given some of the other candidates that are being passed over to include Hall on this list. I can see where those people are coming from, but as I’ll explain in a little bit, I put more stock into Hall’s MVP season than I do the cases of the honorable mentions.
First Team
Goaltender – Martin Brodeur
13.5 seasons (2000-2014)
850 games played
444 wins, 269 losses, 89 ties/overtime losses
.912 save percentage, 2.27 GAA, 86 shutouts
2-time Stanley Cup Champion (2000, 2003)
2-time Stanley Cup runner-up (2001, 2012)
4-time Vezina Trophy Winner (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008)
3-time Jennings Trophy Winner (2003, 2004, 2010)
3-time 1st-Team All-NHL (2003, 2004, 2007)
Without question, the greatest goaltender in Devils franchise history and arguably the greatest goaltender of all-time was going to make this team.
Brodeur made his debut in the 1991-92 season, won the Calder Trophy in his first full NHL season in 1993-94, was a key member of the first Devils Stanley Cup championship team in 1994-95, and was a perennial contender for the Vezina, finishing in the Top Four of voting four times before the turn of the century. And even taking into account that we’re not considering any of what I just wrote, his accolades since January 1st, 2000 speak for themselves. He’d still be in the Top Ten in Goaltender Wins in NHL history had he debuted on 1/1/00. His four Vezina trophies are the most of anyone since 2000 and trail only Jacques Plante, Bill Durnan, Ken Dryden, and Dominik Hasek on the all-time list.
Defenseman – Scott Niedermayer
4.5 seasons (2000-2004)
329 games played
46 goals, 131 assists, 177 points
2-time Stanley Cup Champion (2000, 2003)
1-time Stanley Cup runner-up (2001)
Norris Trophy winner (2004)
1st-Team All NHL (2004)
Served as Devils captain for the 2003-04 season
Niedermayer’s inclusion on this particular list might be a little surprising due to the fact that the majority of his Devils playing career transpired prior to January 1st, 2000.
The reason why Niedermayer makes this list is because he was at the peak of his powers in the middle of a no-doubt-about-it Hall of Fame career. And while he wound up not being in New Jersey for too long, departing as a free agent after the 2004-05 lockout ended, Niedermayer made the most of his time in New Jersey before heading to Southern California. Being a key member of two Stanley Cup winning teams, plus another team that reached the Stanley Cup final, and winning the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the league is more than enough to earn him a spot on this list despite a relatively brief stint as a Devil after 1/1/00.
Defenseman – Scott Stevens
4.5 seasons (2000-2004)
323 games played
21 goals, 75 assists, 96 points
2-time Stanley Cup champion (2000, 2003)
1-time Stanley Cup runner-up (2001)
Conn Smythe Trophy winner (2000)
Longest serving captain in Devils franchise history
With only 323 games played since the turn of the century, Scott Stevens would need to do some heavy lifting to make a Quarter-Century Devils team. Fortunately for Scott, he is used to doing heavy lifting as he continued to soak up top minutes throughout several Devils deep playoff runs in the early 2000s, culminating in him lifting the Stanley Cup over his head twice more before his career ended in 2004.
Stevens might not be the offensive force he was earlier in his career as he racked up huge point totals for a defenseman annually between 1984-1994 but he was as intimidating a force on the blueline as ever as his physicality and shutdown defensive play were a key part of two more championship teams in 2000 and 2003. His outstanding play in the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. Without question, Stevens belongs on this team even with a relatively shortened sized playing career post-2000.
Forward – Patrik Elias
15.5 seasons (2000-2016)
1047 games played
352 goals, 552 assists, 914 points
2-time Stanley Cup champion (2000, 2003)
2-time Stanley Cup runner-up (2001, 2012)
Served as Devils captain from 2006-2008
Patrik Elias is the greatest forward in Devils history, and with the majority of his playing career coming after January 1st, 2000, he simply must be part of this list.
Elias’s 96 points in the 2000-01 held up as the franchise record in a single season for 22 years until Jack Hughes broke that record in 2022-23. But perhaps no point was greater than Elias’s primary assist on Jason Arnott’s goal in double overtime of Game Six of the 2000 Stanley Cup Final to win the series and secure the Stanley Cup.
Elias was the model of consistency with his offensive production and responsible two-way play right up until his final years in the NHL in the mid-2010s. And while I can’t do anything to fix the injustice that is his continued exclusion from the Hockey Hall of Fame, Elias can take solace in being the best forward in Devils history and a member of the Devils first-team for their Quarter Century team.
Forward – Nico Hischier
Eight seasons (2017-present)
485 games played
152 goals, 229 assists, 381 points
Selke Trophy Finalist and Runner-Up (2022-23)
Has served as Devils captain since the 2020-21 season
Since being selected 1st overall in the 2017 draft, Hischier has been the centerpiece of the Devils rebuild of the mid-to-late 2010s.
Hischier’s 52 points as an 18 year old rookie and his presence on the Devils top line were key as Taylor Hall’s Hart Trophy campaign got the Devils back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2012 Stanley Cup Final run. His workmanlike approach and commitment to a responsible two-way game have been critical to the Devils success in recent years.
Hischier might not be offensively gifted as teammate Jack Hughes, but with him producing at nearly a PPG-pace the last four seasons, he is no slouch either. His level of consistency both offensively and defensively, along with the two year head start over his counterpart, earns him a spot on this team.
Forward – Zach Parise
Seven seasons (2005-2012)
502 games played
194 goals, 216 assists, 410 points
1-time Stanley Cup runner-up (2012)
Served as Devils captain in the 2011-12 season
A member of the famed 2003 NHL draft class, Lou Lamoriello hit a home run with the selection of Parise 17th overall in 2003.
Parise debuted during the 2005-06 season and registered a modest 32 points in 81 games, but it wouldn’t be long until he made his presence known. He was the model of consistency for the next four seasons between his durability and his production on both ends of the ice. He finished 5th in the Hart voting in 2009 with 94 points, and followed that year up with another point-per-game season in 2009-10. Knee surgery cut short Parise’s season in 2011 but he bounced back strong in 2011-12 with 69 points in 82 games and captaining the Devils to a surprise appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
Parise ultimately left the Devils in free agency in the summer of 2012, but he certainly made an impact before he left. He is 5th in franchise history in goals scored and 10th in points despite only playing seven seasons in New Jersey. Simply put, he’s one of the best forwards in franchise history, and while there might still be some lingering resentment from fans who continue to hold a grudge for the manner in which he left, he belongs on the team.
Notable Omissions And Why I Went With Who I Went With
For the most part, I think the majority of these selections are pretty straightforward. Starting with the first team and building the rosters out, I think you simply can not have a Devils Quarter-Century First-Team without the quartet of Brodeur, Niedermayer, Stevens and Elias. Not including any of them de-legitimizes any list.
That left two forward spots for the first-team and while I could’ve opted for longevity (Travis Zajac), a higher ceiling in a small window (Ilya Kovalchuk), any of the forwards I selected for the second team, or perhaps gone off the board entirely with some of the more unheralded forwards from the championship teams (such as Jay Pandolfo or John Madden), I think recognizing the current Devils captain in Hischier and another former captain in Parise was the appropriate and correct way to round out the first team. I ultimately chose Hischier over Hughes for the reasons I pointed out earlier. Hischier had a 2-year head start, has been healthier from year-to-year, and has been a more consistent two-way player.
I thought the second team was relatively easy to fill out as well, as there simply isn’t another goaltender other than Schneider worthy of consideration. And while I respect the careers of Dougie Hamilton, Damon Severson, Bryce Salvador, and Colin White, I can’t with all due respect put any of them over Greene or Rafalski for second team defenseman.
I don’t necessarily feel bad for passing over Travis Zajac, Brian Gionta, Adam Henrique, Dainius Zubrus, or Kyle Palmieri for a spot on this list, but to me, the hardest omission was Scott Gomez. I would certainly have time for anyone who would want to argue that he should be on the second team over Taylor Hall, as Gomez played nearly 2.5x as many games as Hall in a Devils sweater, was highly productive (449 points in 569 games), was a member of the Stanley Cup winning teams, and has some individual hardware himself as a former Calder Trophy winner. Admittedly, I’m putting Hall on my list solely off of his Hart Trophy winning season in 2017-18 and his role getting the Devils to the playoffs that season. But to this day, he’s the only Hart Trophy winner in franchise history, and that individual season is better than any individual season Scott Gomez ever had. That carries a lot of weight as far as I’m concerned and is ultimately why he’s on my second team.
As for why I went Hughes and Bratt over some of the aforementioned forwards, they’ve both been around long enough where their Devils careers are comparable to most of the forwards I just mentioned. And while some of them have more games played and more counting stats, Hughes and Bratt being PPG players the last few years is enough to give them the edge over their counterparts.
I will say that it is difficult with modern players who are still active to consider where they should fall on a place like this. It would be easy to try to “futureproof” any list and elevate Hischier, Hughes, and Bratt higher than they should be. I make a conscious effort to not do that with any of them and placed them where they were on their merits and what they have done as hockey players so far. If you feel that I slighted somebody like Scott Gomez or Brian Gionta with a larger body of work, I can understand that sentiment and that’s not my intention with this article. But I would also argue that Jack Hughes is a better hockey player than Scott Gomez in this specific sample size or Jesper Bratt is a better hockey player than Brian Gionta. It’s ultimately a matter of opinion at the end of the day, but I’m more than comfortable with the rosters as selected.
Final Quarter Century Teams and Final Thoughts
To recap, my Devils Quarter Century Teams are as follows.
First Team
Goaltender – Martin Brodeur
Defensemen – Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens
Forwards – Patrik Elias, Nico Hischier, Zach Parise
Second Team
Goaltender – Cory Schneider
Defensemen – Andy Greene, Brian Rafalski
Forwards – Taylor Hall, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt
Overall, I’d say I did a bangup job nailing each and every pick correctly, as expected, but now, I turn things over to you. Do you agree with these selections? Do you think these will be the actual Quarter Century Teams when revealed? Do you disagree with me for whatever reason? Please feel free to leave a comment below and thanks for reading.
(all stats for the aforementioned players are within the specified time period of 1/1/00-12/14/24 and should be credited to Hockey-Reference or MoneyPuck)