New Jersey Devils: Top 25 NHL Draft Picks Of All Time

24.

Sergei Brylin is one of the biggest fan favorites in the history of the New Jersey Devils franchise. He is one of the few players to lift the Stanley Cup for all three Devils championships without having his number retired. Some players were there for some (Bobby Holik, Patrik Elias, et al), but outside of the Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko royalty, Brylin is one of the best.

He was drafted in 1992 with the Devils 2nd-round pick. Brylin had a very interesting career when you look at his stats. He’s someone that is looked at as one of the best, but he never really was. He played a role with the Devils, and he did what he was told. He didn’t even play the most games of Devils drafted that season. Defenseman Jason Smith played over 1,000 games including becoming captain for the Edmonton Oilers.

Brylin played 13 seasons in a Devils jersey. Over his 765 games, he had 129 goals and 179 assists. He put up one 20-goal season in his career, an outlier to an otherwise defensive career. He went to Russia to finish his career before returning to the Devils to become a coach in the AHL. His legacy is one of our favorites, but as a draft pick he’s not one of the best, but he is one that deserves recognition. To get someone who contributed to the team for well over a decade and three Stanley Cups can’t be ignored.