Ranking Every New Jersey Devils 1st-Round Draft Pick Part 3: Success Stories
By Mike Luci
No. 2: Scott Niedermayer
Defenseman
3rd Overall, 1991
Before selecting Brian Rolston, the New Jersey Devils selected hall-of-fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer with the third overall pick—which they acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Tom Kurvers. Having won championships at every competitive level he’s played, Niedermayer became a longtime staple on the Devil’s blue line, helping them win three Stanley Cups and usher in a golden age where New Jersey became a perennial playoff contender.
Aside from the three Stanley Cups with New Jersey, was with them when they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in 2001, and captured a fourth title in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. Wanting to fulfill his desire of playing with younger brother Rob, Niedermayer signed with the Ducks as a free agent in 2005, where he played for five seasons.
Internationally, Niedermayer won two gold medals with Team Canada in the 2002 and 2010 Olympic Games. He’s one of three players on this list to have his number retired by the New Jersey Devils, and the only individual to receive that honor from more than one team (the other being the Anaheim Ducks). He’s also the only New Jersey Devils defenseman to win the Norris Trophy—awarded to the league’s top defenseman—which he won in 2004. Niedermayer is New Jersey’s all-time leading scorer among defensemen, collecting 112 goals and 476 points. Players like Niedermayer don’t come around often, and while he sometimes fell in the shadows of Scott Stevens or Martin Brodeur, the Devils don’t enjoy their golden age without him on their backend.