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5 New Jersey Devils Legends Who Would Dominate Today’s NHL

By Jonathan Bailey

20 Nov 1997: John Maclean #15 of the New Jersey Devils in action against Bryan McCabe #4 of the New York Islanders during a game at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Islanders 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport
20 Nov 1997: John Maclean #15 of the New Jersey Devils in action against Bryan McCabe #4 of the New York Islanders during a game at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Islanders 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport /
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John Madden during his time with the New Jersey Devils. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
John Madden during his time with the New Jersey Devils. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

This John Madden wouldn’t give you a turkey leg after a game on Thanksgiving Day, but he would give you a lot of other things – mostly ones that help you win hockey games.

Undrafted from the college hockey powerhouse that is now the Michigan Wolverines, John Madden joined the New Jersey Devils as a free agent and spent the bulk of his first two years in the organization with the Albany River Rats in the AHL. After scoring 98 points in 75 games with the River Rats in the 1998-99 season, it became obvious that Madden was playing in a league far below his skill level.

John Madden was subsequently promoted to the New Jersey Devils the following year and was a key member of the Stanley Cup-winning squad that year alongside fellow rookie Brian Rafalski. Madden would also feature on the 2003 Cup-winning team, winning one more in 2010 as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks against the hated Devils rival Philadelphia Flyers.

John Madden was remarkably durable and consistent throughout his NHL career. As a New Jersey Devil, Madden never scored fewer than 12 goals in a season and finished with 30 or more points in eight of his 10 seasons in Red and Black. Madden also never played fewer than 74 games in any of his 10 seasons in New Jersey.

Madden won the Selke Trophy in the 2000-01 season and would finish in second place in Selke voting in 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2007-08. He also finished fifth in voting in 2005-06 and 10th in 2006-07. Madden retired as the Devils’ all-time leader in short-handed goals with 17.

If John Madden had some more juice offensively, Patrice Bergeron and his six Selke wins might be an afterthought. Sure, the Selke is given to the best defensive forward, but offensive production undeniably plays a huge factor, just like how Erik Karlsson won the Norris Trophy for the 2022-23 season by scoring 101 points on the third-worst defensive team in the NHL.

Next. 5 Former Devils Who Might Retire This Offseason. dark

In today’s NHL, every team would want a John Madden. Truthfully, every team needs a John Madden. Madden’s defensive capabilities were so unprecedented that finding another player as consistent as he was would be rare. Even Anze Kopitar, who has won the Selke Trophy twice, has only finished in the top five of Selke voting four times outside of his two wins. In the past 15 years, Kopitar, Bergeron, and Pavel Datsyuk have been the only players to win the trophy multiple times.

In today’s NHL, they don’t really make guys like John Madden anymore.

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