New Jersey Devils: 5 Worst Free Agent Signings Of All Time

Brian Rolston

Brian Rolston is tough to put on this list for a variety of reasons. He was originally drafted by the organization, became a fan favorite and was beginning to enter the prime of his offensive career before he was eventually traded for Claude Lemieux in midst of the Devils second Stanley Cup run in 2000.

Rolston saw a lot of offensive success in Boston and Minnesota, scoring 30-plus goals four times. Prior to signing a 4-year $20 million contract, he scored 30 goals for three-straight seasons in his age 32-34 seasons. He was a special teams machine, scoring 11-plus power play goals and tallying 7 short handed goals in that three-year span.

Would that type of production be sustainable as he approached his late thirties? Conventional wisdom would think that the Devils were paying a premium for what he did before, not necessarily what he was going to do.

Things did not go according to plan right off the bat in his second stint in red and black, as he suffered an injury and could never really get back in a groove with the team. He scored 15 goals, with half of his goals coming on the power play.

His second year was a bit better than his first, as he did score 20 goals. However, he never seemed to gain much chemistry with any linemates, and his skating was a detriment to the team. His third year in New Jersey was a tumultuous one. Lou Lamoriello waived him, hoping another team would pick up his contract. When no one bit on the contract, Rolston found his way back on the team.

Rolston actually finished off the season strong where he was put in better situations to succeed. He would be traded to the New York Islanders the following summer for Trent Hunter and a conditional draft pick. This ended his up and down tenure as a Devil, where he seemingly never found his ‘way’ with the team.