5 Hall of Famers You Forgot Played For New Jersey Devils

4. Igor Larionov 2003-04

It’s almost like Lou Lamoriello let one future Hall of Famer go in Joe Nieuwendyk and brought in another, albeit much older, one in Igor Larionov. Larionov was clearly near the end of his rope, as he was already 42 years old at the time of his signing and he would turn 43 during the season. This signing really didn’t work out.

Larionov was only able to play 49 games during the regular season and just one playoff game that season before retiring. None of what he did with the Devils was ever going to impact his case for the Hall of Fame. He had just 12 points and one goal during his season with the Devils.

Points weren’t the entirety of Larionov’s game anyway, but they were a nice bonus. Larionov declared this was going to be his last season when he signed with the Devils. He wanted one last chance to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. It didn’t work out as the Devils were ousted in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers.

This was a fun signing on paper. Larionov in his prime is the perfect type of player for Lou Lamoriello, but like some others on this list, he didn’t consider the Devils until much later in his career. He won his three Stanley Cups already, so it’s not like he missed out, but it would have been fun to see Larionov on some of those mid-90s Devils teams.