50 Greatest New Jersey Devils Players of All Time: Numbers 50-41
By Nick Villano
![Damon Severson #28 and Jesper Bratt #63 of the New Jersey Devils. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) Damon Severson #28 and Jesper Bratt #63 of the New Jersey Devils. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/86c55812baa26598c532d696d92873bb813c6b94b2715bc2a60493488f344e27.jpg)
Greatest New Jersey Devils player of all time: 49. Kyle Palmieri
Kyle Palmieri has been a fan favorite for his entire tenure with the Devils. He was one of the first major moves by Ray Shero when he took over for the legend that is Lou Lamoriello. He sent two draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks in June of 2015. In his very first season with the Devils, he scored 30 goals. He was off to the races, and Palmieri was a natural fit for this franchise.
Palmieri wore a lot of hats during his 397 games with the Devils. He started as a natural middle-six forward, but he became a scorer on the top line for a long time. During Taylor Hall’s MVP season, Palmieri, Hall, and Nico Hischier were considered one of the best lines in all of hockey.
During his time with the Devils, Palmieri was generally a 25-goal scorer with about 25 assists per year. This was during a time when the Devils were desperate for every goal. He was a product of his environment, and he was the best of what he was. The Devils needed a scorer, and he seemed like the only one they had when Hall was doing other things.
Some might think this is too low for Palmieri, but it’s hard to put him higher. Maybe if he was able to put up some legendary playoff performances, things would be different. Since everything he did was mostly in the regular season, it doesn’t rank as highly as others on this list.