New Jersey Devils: Five Best Lou Lamoriello Re-Acquisitions

4. Petr Sykora

What was once the greatest line in Devils history was no more when Lamoriello traded away Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora in a matter of months in 2002. The last remaining player from the “A Line” was Patrik Elias. Arnott was mentioned among the worst returns. However, his former teammate Sykora finds himself among the best.

Sykora was a fan favorite during his time with the New Jersey Devils. He was an effective player that consistently produced offensive numbers. He was traded to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for a package that included Jeff Friesen. The only reason why that trade did not hurt as much as it could have for fans in hindsight, is that the trade led to the Devils winning the 2003 Stanley Cup.

Sykora would spend time with multiple organizations during his break in tenure with the Devils. After sitting out a season, Sykora decided to take a gamble and sign a tryout contract with the Devils before the 2011-12 season. Sykora made the team and would reward Lamoriello and the Devils for bringing him back.

Reunited with fellow countryman Elias, Sykora would score 21 goals for the Devils. 21 goals was the same number of goals he scored for the Devils in his last season with the team. Sykora would play all 82 games and help the Devils get to the Stanley Cup Final. Although they lost in the end to the Los Angeles Kings, Sykora gave the Devils and their fans one last fun run before he called it quits.