Ranking Every New Jersey Devils 1st-Round Draft Pick Part 1: The Busts
By Mike Luci
No. 30: Corey Foster
Defenseman
12th Overall, 1988
Corey Foster was mentioned earlier, being the player Lamoriello traded to Edmonton in 1989 for the first-round pick he used to draft Jason Miller. This makes Foster the first Lamoriello-drafted player in round one that he traded. He made his NHL debut the following year with New Jersey, but only played in two games and registered zero points. Foster wouldn’t reappear in the NHL again until 1991-1992 with the Philadelphia Flyers, who acquired him from Edmonton along with forward Jari Kurri. Foster netted three goals and seven points in 25 games with Philadelphia. He had two more NHL stints in 95-96 with the Pittsburgh Penguins (two goals and four points in 11 games), and New York Islanders in 96-97 (no points in seven games).
Cumulatively, five goals and 11 points in 45 games isn’t bad for a defenseman. He had some decent PPGs with the Flyers (.28) and Penguins (.36), but like many others on this list, couldn’t quite acclimate to NHL play. Foster did have a decent AHL and IHL career from 1989-1997, appearing in 476 games, scoring 84 goals, and collecting 282 points. One interesting detail about Foster’s playing career was the four seasons he spent in Japan (1997-2001), before playing one year in Germany and having a final AHL stint in 02-03.