2024-25 New Jersey Devils Season Opener Countdown: #25 Jason Arnott, #24 Bryce Salvador, and Elias' 23 Points

The 2024-25 New Jersey Devils season opens very soon. On October 4, the Devils will fight the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia. To get ready for the season, we're doing a daily piece countdown of all the numbers of the Devils sweaters and moments in Devils franchise history. We continue with one of the best trade pieces to lead us to the 2000 Stanley Cp in Jason Arnott, the short-term captain, now broadcast analyst Bryce Salvador, and a 23-point performance in the 2000-01 playoffs by Patrik Elias, a franchise record.

Jason Arnott

The date was January 4th, 1998, and the Devils had just beaten the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the top teams during that season. However, the Flyers were at the top of the Atlantic Division by one point. Lou Lamoriello wants to strengthen the forward group and made a trade with the Edmonton Oilers to acquire forward Jason Arnott.

In his 5th year in the league, Arnott was putting up solid numbers with 18 points that season. For the rest of that season in New Jersey, he would put up 15 more points to finish with 33. When the next season started, new coach Robbie Ftorek decided to make a line using the skills and strength of not only Arnott but also Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora. These three would create an exceptional line known as The A-Line, which was known as one of the best lines in NHL history.

With this line, Arnott’s numbers improved to 54 points that season, and his career was rejuvenated. While the 1999-00 regular season saw him scoring 56 points, his production in the 2000 playoffs made Arnott’s career as a Devil memorable, scoring 20 points in 23 games, with eight goals and 12 assists. One of the eight goals was the famous double-overtime goal of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Dallas Stars, which was ended the season with the Devils on top.

Arnott would play two more seasons in New Jersey with 55 points in the 2000-01 season and 41 points in the first 63 games of the 2001-02 season before the trade deadline saw Lou make a big trade, trading Arnott back to the Stars for Jamie Langenbrunner, and Joe Nieuwendyk. Arnott would play with the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators for the following seven seasons. In the 2010 offseason, at age 36, Arnott signed back with the Devils and would have an excellent 24-point season before trading him in February of 2011 for Dave Steckel. Arnott would retire after the 2011-12 season at 37 years old.

Bryce Salvador

On February 26, 2008, the Devils, knowing they needed to fix their defense, acquired Bryce Salvador from the Blues in exchange for another defenseman in Cam Janssen. Salvador wasn’t a point scorer, but he did change the defensive efforts for the team.

Salvador would remain with the Devils for the rest of his career, and he had moments when the Devils needed him. In Game 4 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, he would score the first goal of the game, which helped lead the Devils to victory. In January 2013, he was named the Devil’s captain and would serve that role for three seasons before calling it a career at the age of 38.

Despite being retired, he is still part of the Devils organization. He was hired in the 2017-18 season as a Devils studio analyst, a position he still holds.

Patrik Elias had 23 Points in the 2000-01 Playoffs.

In the 2000-01 regular season, Patrik Elias was just incredible to watch for those who witnessed it. His 96-point season for Elias was the highest in Devils franchise history at that time, with 40 goals and 56 assists. With the Devils securing a top playoff spot and trying to go back-to-back, the Devils needed their top guy at their best, and Patrik Elias did a lot of the heavy lifting for the Devils en route to the 2001 Stanley Cup Final.

In the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Elias would produce six points, which included three goals, two of them coming at an essential time in Game 7, where he scored two goals back to back in the 2nd period to extend the Devils lead to 3-1, which lead to the 5-1 win. Against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals, The A-Line was significant in that game, as Elias set up two goals to Petr Sykora, and in Games 3 and 4, scored a goal while also adding an assist on a Brian Rafalski goal.

Despite not winning the Cup, Elias did score five more points in the Final, including a great Game 4 with a shorthanded goal and another assist. Elias would score one more goal in Game 5, and his last point came from an assist in game seven on the only game for the Devils on a Petr Sykora goal. While it’s sad he didn’t get the Cup due to the Avalanche being the better team, Elias' playoff performance, which is still the current record, should not be forgotten.