New Jersey Devils: Brian Rafalski Was An Underrated Gem
Back in the glory days of the New Jersey Devils, they were one of the most formidable teams in the NHL. They won three Stanley Cups in a nine-year period. Most of it was due to their teamwork, offensive depth, legendary goaltending, and a nearly unstoppable defensive core. The Devils were always known for their defensive style of play up until Ray Shero took over as GM when Lou Lamoriello took a step back in 2015. The Devils had two Hall of Fame defensemen when the Devils won their three Cups. Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer were obviously great. There was another notable defenseman that helped their defensive arsenal. Brian Rafalski played a huge role in their Cup runs in 2000 and 2003.
Unlike the other elite defenseman mentioned earlier, Brian Rafalski was a late bloomer. His first season in the NHL was the 1999-2000 season as an undrafted free agent for the New Jersey Devils. At this time, Brian was 26 years old. This is a very late start to an NHL career. Before this, he played four years of NCAA hockey and a total of five years of playing in two of the top professional leagues in Europe (SHL and Liiga respectively).
When playing at these respective levels, he was dominant. When he came to the NHL, he continued to dominate the league with his offensive ability. He was a consistent producer of offense during his 11-year NHL career. He put multiple 40 and 50-point seasons and producing the most points in 2008-2009 by scoring just shy of 60 points in the 78 games he played. He also brought success everywhere he went.
Rafalski brought success wherever he went. He won three Stanley Cups, including two with the Devils (2000 and 2003) and one with the Detroit Red Wings (2008). He was a two-time silver medalist while playing in the winter Olympics for the United States. Other accolades that Rafalski has to his name include 1999 All-Rookie Team, a 3x All-Star, and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Despite this successful career, he was plagued with injuries during the second half of his NHL career. Because of this, he had to retire from NHL earlier than he wanted.
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Looking back at his career, he was a very talented defenseman and was a huge contributor to the teams he played on. His numbers can be compared to other great defensemen. He has a better points per game than Scott Niedermayer. Rafalski and Niedermayer were born in the same year (1973). It would have been interesting to see what Brian’s career would have been if he was actually drafted to the NHL. If Rafalski did get drafted and assumed that he would produce a similar amount, it can be argued that he could have one of the best defensemen in the league and be up there as one of the best defensemen in NHL history. Also, Brian could have done a lot more if he was not plagued by injuries.
Overall, Brian Rafalski was an outstanding offensive defenseman, and it would have been amazing to see how he could have done in the NHL if teams noticed his talent and potential much sooner. It would also have been interesting if Brian remained on the Devils instead of signing with Detroit. I would not be surprised that he would be a possible candidate to be inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in years to come.
What do you guys think about Brian Rafalski’s career? Do you think he is on a similar skill level as the other great New Jersey Devils and NHL defenseman? What do you think would have happened if Rafalski’s career if entered the NHL earlier than he did? Please leave a comment below and let’s get a discussion going.