New Jersey Devils: 5 Best PTOs In Franchise History

3. Petr Sykora

Old fan favorite Petr Sykora was in hockey limbo after the 2009-10 season. He spent that year with the Minnesota Wild and had an injury-plagued season. He did not sign an NHL contract for the 2010-11 season and signed in the KHL. Trying to give it one last shot, Lamoriello gave the player he drafted back in 1995 a call. Sykora came to camp on a PTO hoping to rekindle his NHL talent and his chemistry with fellow countryman Patrik Elias. It worked out, and then some.

Sykora would play all 82 games in the regular season, something he only accomplished twice before in his 15-year career. 21 goals and 44 points later, Sykora was a mainstay in the Devils lineup come postseason time. However, Sykora found himself on the bad side of then coach Peter DeBoer and was a healthy scratch during a few games of the postseason run. With Sykora’s help, the Devils went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, scoring two goals in 18 playoff games.

This would be the last stop in Sykora’s NHL career. He would try one more time with HC Bern of the NLA in Switzerland, but only played 5 games for the team and promptly retired. Sykora would return to New Jersey during the 2000 Stanley Cup 20th anniversary celebration where he finally got to take a lap with the Cup in front of the home crowd. Sykora finished his career with 527 career games played with the Devils.