New Jersey Devils 2012 Stanley Cup Team: Where are they now?

Anton Volchenkov

Anton Volchenkov was an absolute warrior for the New Jersey Devils, but never quite got the recognition he deserved. Like Henrik Tallinder, Volchenkov struggled to stay healthy, and it would be reasonable to attribute this to his physical style of play. Volchenkov blocked 980 shots and made 1062 hits across his NHL career in the regular season.

In New Jersey, Anton Volchenkov didn’t play all that much. He played 60 or more games just once in three years (not including the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season), and when he did play, he was behind Bryce Salvador, Andy Greene, and Henrik Tallinder in the pecking order. Volchenkov was an extremely reliable stay-at-home defenseman, though.

With Henrik Tallinder available for only three games of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Volchenkov appeared in all 24 games, scoring one goal and one assist. Marek Zidlicky, Mark Fayne, Adam Larsson, Salvador, and Greene all averaged more playing time than Volchenkov in those playoffs. Tallinder did so across the handful of games he played.

Anton Volchenkov was bought out on June 30, 2014 – four years into the six-year, $25.5 million contract he signed on July 1, 2010. Volchenkov played 46 games for the Nashville Predators in the 2014-15 season but did not play in the 2015-16 season. Volchenkov spent the next two years with Admiral Vladivostok in the KHL, before joining Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and spending another two seasons there.

Anton Volchenkov has played as recently as the 2019-20 season but will turn 42 in February. After three years out of professional hockey, it’s probably safe to assume Volchenkov is now retired.