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In case you were unaware, the New Jersey Devils have won 3 Stanley Cups since entering the National Hockey League as an expansion team called the “Kansas City Scouts” back in 1974.  Most recently, the team won the championship back in 2003…

Since ’03, we haven’t witnessed too much “magic” from the New Jersey hockey franchise.  Yes, they have put together some pretty damn good teams (i.e. Division Champs in 05-06, 06-07, 08-09, 09-10) under General Manager Lou Lamoriello and even made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012, only to lose to the Los Angeles Kings in 6 games.

I was trying to think of a different sort of idea for this post and decided… why not put together the “BEST” Devils lineup from the years following their last SC Final run?  The players in this theoretical lineup played in New Jersey from 2003 up until the present.  I evaluated these players based on specific abilities, rated them as if they were in their primes and tried to compose an amazing roster that would have a shot at beating teams like the Kings and/or Blackhawks of the present to capture the Devils’ 4th Stanley Cup title.

Here is the roster I came up with:

Forwards —

1st Line: Zach Parise – Scott Gomez – Ilya Kovalchuk

Former captain + Calder Trophy winner (Rookie of the Year in hockey) + The guy who retired despite being in the middle of a 15-year contract… He’s still an elite hockey player, even though many Devils fans don’t really like the guy anymore.  Gomez won a cup with New Jersey.  Parise and Kovy led the team to the finals in 2012.  Imagine these 3 playing together when they were all at their absolute best.

2nd Line: Patrik Elias – Jason Arnott – Petr Sykora [aka the “A Line”]

This line was nicknamed the “A Line” for two reasons.  1) Jason Arnott was the center and his last name started with an A. 2) This was their best line.  The chemistry seen between 17, 25 and 26 was perfect.  All three of these players earned a spot on this roster because of their ability to play as one cohesive three-man unit.

3rd Line: Jaromir Jagr – Adam Henrique – Brian Gionta

This line combines a living legend on one wing with a guy who went on to serve as the captain for two other NHL teams, Brian Gionta (Canadiens and Sabres), on the other.  Many Devils fans have one distinct memory of the line’s young center…… “They Score!  Henrique!  It’s over!” – Doc Emrick.

4th Line: Jay Pandolfo – John Madden – David Clarkson

I think everyone has the same image in their head when they try to remember John Madden’s years with the Devils —

He was obviously known as ‘Mad Dog’ for a reason.  And he’d be nothing without his linemate for many years in New Jersey, Jay Pandolfo.  The two checking forwards formed a duo that would always be on the ice against the opposing teams’ top scoring line.  The Devils could use these two on their struggling PK right now, that’s for sure.

So why throw David Clarkson on RW here?  He can’t skate, he’s inconsistent, and in Jersey he even became known more as a goal scorer… BUT, if you watched him play, he was always solid on the forecheck.  He would always stick up for his teammates, whether that be by jawing with rival players or dropping the gloves to beat the living $#!+ out of the opposing team’s “goon.”  That, plus having the ability to find the back of the net, contributed to giving him a spot in this lineup.  Oh yeah: he also scored a goal against the rival Philadelphia Flyers once and somehow ended up on the top of the net and proceeded to celebrate like Superman.

Scratches (*honorable mention*): Sergei Brylin, Alexander Mogilny, Brian Rolston, Jamie Langenbrunner

Obviously, I had to leave some pretty big names out, but it was impossible to include everyone here.  So, just like the Devils are letting Scott Gomez practice with the squad without technically being under contract, I figured as a fake GM, I can allow myself to invite four more forwards to stick around with the team in case anyone goes down due to injury.  I almost gave Sergei Brylin the spot at right wing on John Madden’s line.  He was a defensive-minded forward who was physically able to play on any of the team’s lines when he was in his prime.  He was on each of the Devils’ Stanley Cup teams, so he brings a veteran presence with playoff experience to this roster.

Alexander Mogilny scored 76 goals in a single season.  76.

Brian Rolston’s slapshot from the point on the Power Play was too valuable to pass up here.  He also was a part of 3 USA Olympic Hockey teams.  This guy was a team player who could play any forward position on any line and could score a goal in the clutch when the team desperately needed one.

Jamie Langenbrunner was tough to leave off the top-12 forwards here.  He served as captain of the Devils from 2007-2011.  He was the true definition of an NHL captain.  He also was part of the “ZZ Pops” line with Travis Zajac and Zach Parise starting in ’07.  He was “Pops” at that point in his career, though.

Defense —

1st Pair: Scott Stevens – Scott Niedermayer

The Devils have retired three jersey numbers in their entire history.  One of them was number 4 for Scott Stevens.  One of them was number 27 for Scott Niedermayer.  Nieds was a puck-carrying, offensive-minded defenseman who was one of the best at doing that job of all-time.  Stevens was probably one of the hardest-hitting, stay-at-home, defensive-minded hockey players to step foot on out on the ice.  He is known for picking things up and putting things down.  Those things were usually human beings on the opposing team.

2nd Pair: Paul Martin – Brian Rafalski

These two puck-carrying, offensive defensemen were key pieces to the Devils’ Power Play over the years.  Rafalski won 3 Stanley Cups and played in 3 Olympic Games for the United States Ice Hockey Team.  He couldn’t win the Calder Trophy because Scott Gomez, his teammate, won that award when they were both rookies with the Devils.  He had a plus-minus rating of +21 in his ROOKIE SEASON!  Incredible.  Big things were still to come in his hockey career.

Martin was an American Olympian as well.  He could score, carry the puck and was defensively sound.  When he left the Devils to sign with the Penguins, it was a crushing blow to the team’s defensive corpse… a blow which they still haven’t fully been able to recover from.

3rd Pair: Andy Greene – Damon Severson

This pairing might surprise some people who actually decide to read this post.  Why Andy Greene?  And why a 20-year-old rookie?  Andy Greene just signed a long-term contract to remain with the Devils.  He’s loyal.  He’s talented.  He can score, he plays against top forwards in the league AND is a superb mentor towards the team’s young defensemen (i.e. Severson).  This guy would be my choice for captain [if Bryce Salvador wasn’t standing in his way #TrafficCone].  Anyway, he is leading the Devils with a plus-minus rating of +9 only 12 games into the ’13-14 season.  And do you want to know who’s second on the team in that category?

None other than Damon Severson (+6).  Severson has put up 8 points in his first 12 NHL games.  He has shown composure out on the ice.  You wouldn’t know he was a rookie when watching him play (unless you looked at his face…).  His on-ice vision and patience is unreal —

He can score and can defend admirably for a 20-year-old.  It’s easy for a fan to be high on this kid, but what’s impressing me is the fact that the head coach of the Devils, Peter DeBoer, is giving the “kid” big minutes on the point on the Power Play, occasionally on the PK and he’s had the opportunity to play with Andy Greene against top forwards already in the early parts of the season.  I like what I’ve seen.  And if he’s this theoretical team’s 6th best defenseman, I think I’m perfectly fine with that.

Scratches (*honorable mention*): Colin White, Anton Volchenkov

Two hard-hitters who would never hold back from standing up for teammates or destroying their competition out on the ice.  White was a staple in the Devils d-corpse for a while.  “Volchie” was a huge part of the Devils’ PK.  Lou Lamoriello used a compliance buyout on Volchenkov after last season.  Financially, that made sense.  It was a decision that significantly impacted the team’s penalty kill, though.  They’ve had to put way too much trust in captain Bryce Salvador (I feel like I always bring up his name for some reason…) and are definitely missing Volchenkov’s ability to block shots and clear the puck in key situations.  The Devils’ PK still sits at 2nd-to-last in the NHL as of 11/6/14 at 68.6%…  During the 2011-12 season, with Volchenkov playing big minutes on the penalty kill, the Devils led the league with an 89.6% PK efficiency rate.  Oh, and they also made it to the Cup Finals that year too.  Coincidence?  Probably not.

Goaltenders —

Martin Brodeur, Cory Schneider

This was too easy.  Best goalie of all-time, in addition to the “goalie of the future.”

Scratch (*honorable mention*): Johan Hedberg

The current goalie coach for the Albany Devils, aka “Moose,” played some big games for the Devils prior to the Cory Schneider trade.  He became a fan favorite instantaneously.  I’m not sure if that was because of his awesome nickname or his play between the pipes.  We’ll never know.

I’m confident that this group would be incredible if they had the opportunity to all play together during each of their individual primes.  Maybe the team would even go 82-0-0 in the regular season on their way to the New Jersey Devils’ 4th Stanley Cup Championship in the franchise’s history.  Who knows.