New Jersey Devils: Five Best Lou Lamoriello Re-Acquisitions

After the deep dive into the worst re-acquisitions of Lou Lamoriello’s career as the New Jersey Devils general manager, it took longer than anticipated to think of the good ones. Lamoriello loves his guys; that much is well-known. Unfortunately for the New Jersey Devils, many of Lou’s guys returned with less than positive results.

With that being said, a couple of players Lou brought back led directly to the Devils making deep runs into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. One player Lou brought back single-handedly brought the Devils to the playoffs. The one player who dragged the Devils to the playoffs left without a trace.

Alexander Mogilny was considered for this list. Mogilny was brought back after the lockout season in 2005. Mogilny was successful in his games, scoring 12 goals in 34 games. If it were not for Patrik Elias returning from his bout with Hepatitis A, Mogilny would have stayed with the team. Elias came back, and Mogilny became a cap casualty, being sent down to the AHL. That, unfortunately, led to Mogilny’s retirement after multiple hip injuries.

The players that made the cut as best re-acquisitions all stayed for only one more season. One player actually came back a third time, albeit not as successful as the second go around with the team. As mentioned before, Lamoriello loves his guys no matter how bad, or in this case good, they performed.

5. Brendan Shanahan

To be clear, Shanahan’s return in the 2008-09 season was not all that spectacular. He did not sign until January of that season, but there is a special reason as to why he is on this list. Shanahan was the Devils’ first-round pick, second overall in the 1987 NHL Draft and contributed almost immediately. In his first four seasons, Shanahan scored 88 goals and recorded 214 points in 281 games.

Shanahan became a restricted free agent. What happened next would change the trajectory of the Devils’ organization forever. Famously, Shanahan would sign a deal with the St. Louis Blues. As compensation, the Devils would receive Scott Stevens, who would captain the Devils to three championships and establish the team’s identity for years to come.

Shanahan would play for the Blues for four seasons before being traded to the Hartford Whalers for another Hall of Fame defenseman, Chris Pronger. Shanahan would then play the next nine years in Detroit, carving himself a solid Hall of Fame career for himself. He would also make a stop with the Rangers before setting a new NHL record when he signed with the Devils in January of 2009.

Shanahan would set the NHL record for longest gap between stints with one team. It took 17 years before Shanahan would return to the black and red. At 40 years old, Shanahan would contribute to the team. Having 14 points in 34 games, Shanahan would provide veteran leadership to a transitioning team. He would re-sign to play in the 2009-10 season, but retired before the season started.

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.

3. Scott Gomez

Scott Gomez was a first-round pick in the 1998 NHL draft. He burst onto the NHL scene during the 1999-2000 season, taking the hockey world by storm. He earned the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year in the league, scoring 19 goals and 70 points. 70 points, a record for the most in Devils history for a rookie, a record that still stands today. He remained with the Devils until the end of the 2006-07 season.

Gomez was seen as a number one center on most teams, and during free agency in the 2007 offseason, he cashed in. Signing a massive contract with the New York Rangers, alienating himself from the fans that loved him at the start of his career. He was booed relentlessly every time he touched the puck in Newark as a member of the Blueshirts or any team after that. He would make stops in Montreal, San Jose, and Florida before coming to a crossroads in his career.

He struggled mightily since he left New Jersey, only having one or two successful seasons. Lou Lamoriello gave Gomez a chance to return to the Devils in the 2014 offseason. He signed Gomez to a PTO. Gomez played well in the pre-season. Unfortunately, there was no room for him on the roster. A few injuries and demotions later, Gomez signed a deal for the rest of the season. Gomez would soon make Lamoriello and fans wonder why he was not signed sooner.

Gomez scored 34 points in 58 games. While doing so, he erased all the sour taste in the mouths of fans. All was forgiven, and Gomez was a feel-good story for what was an otherwise forgettable 2014-15 season.

1. Scott Clemmensen

Scott Clemmensen is not on this list for the third time Lamoriello brought him back. In the 2014 offseason, Clemmensen was brought back by Lamoriello to become the new backup to Cory Schneider since Martin Brodeur had finally left the team. He played three games, starting one, and was horrible. He promptly retired, and Keith Kinkaid emerged as Schneider’s new backup. However, some people forget what Clemmensen did in the 2008-09 season.

The aforementioned Brodeur did something in the 2008-09 season that he had never done before in his career at that point. He got hurt. That left the Devils with backup Kevin Weekes as the new starter. During the 2008 offseason, the Devils brought Clemmensen back to be the third-string goalie, only expecting him to become the backup in dire circumstances. Clemmensen left the Devils organization in 2007 and was with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2007-08 season.

The dire circumstances came to be as Brodeur had to miss a huge chunk of the season with an arm injury. Kevin Weekes started a handful of games while having successful numbers. Clemmensen came in as a backup but took control of the net and did not let it go until Brodeur came back. Clemmensen started 39 games while going 25-13-1 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.39 GAA.

With Brodeur out, many in hockey counted the Devils out of the playoff picture. Clemmensen singlehandedly dragged the Devils to the postseason. After the season, he cashed in on his superb play by signing a lucrative contract with the Florida Panthers. While he did not replicate his success, Clemmensen deserved the contract he got. If it were not for Clemmensen, the Devils would not have continued their playoff streak.

What happened to the Devils in the 2008-09 playoffs is a different story for a different day.