5 Players Who Returned To New Jersey Devils (And How It Went)

There are rumors swirling right now that the New Jersey Devils might consider a reunion with Kyle Palmieri now that the New York Islanders season is spiraling out of control. While the Devils have had a rough stretch, it’s nothing like what the Islanders, who were one win away from making the Stanley Cup Final last season, are going through right now.

Whether a return of Palmieri is a good idea or not is anyone’s guess. He’s having a rough season, but we’ve seen players struggle outside of the Devils locker room before then return to have success. We’ve also seen Devils players return and it goes horribly wrong. That’s the risk teams take when they are bringing back players in the twilight of their career.

How did former New Jersey Devils players do when they returned to the Garden State?

Lou Lamoriello was famous for bringing former players back into the fold when they got either cheaper or more available. He knew what he was getting out of a lot of these players, and it made sense to him to bring players back who knew what they were getting into. Sometimes they were players he drafted that left for bigger money elsewhere, and other times it was Lou who traded a player away to try and get a bigger asset. No matter how painful the divorce was, it always seemed like the door was left open for the Devils to bring back former players.

Lamoriello is now trying to right the ship on Long Island, but the Devils habit of bringing back former players is alive and well. Blake Coleman confirmed to us earlier this season that the Devils were one of the finalists for his services. When it’s the right player, the Devils are more than willing to roll out the red carpet for a reunion.