1996–97 New Jersey Devils season

1996–97 New Jersey Devils
Atlantic Division champions
Division	1st Atlantic
Conference	1st Eastern
1996–97 record	45–23–14
Home record	23–9–9
Road record	22–14–5
Goals for	231
Goals against	182
Team information
General manager	Lou Lamoriello
Coach	Jacques Lemaire
Captain	Scott Stevens
Alternate captains	John MacLean Ken Daneyko
Arena	Continental Airlines Arena
Average attendance	16,398
Minor league affiliate(s)	Albany River Rats Raleigh IceCaps
Team leaders
Goals	John MacLean and Bill Guerin (29)
Assists	Bobby Holík (39)
Points	Bobby Holik (62)
Penalty minutes	Lyle Odelein (110)
Plus/minus	Dave Andreychuk (+38)
Wins	Martin Brodeur (37)
Goals against average	Martin Brodeur (1.88)

The 1996–97 New Jersey Devils season was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 15th season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season. The Devils captured the Atlantic Division title and finished first in the Eastern Conference, but fell in the second round of the playoffs to their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers.

The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority was contractually obligated to install a new US$600,000 sound system in Continental Airlines Arena prior to the start of the season.

Offseason

The Devils' head coach Jacques Lemaire expressed his disappointment following the team's loss to the Ottawa Senators in the final game of the 1995–96 season, the first time since 1970 that the defending Stanley Cup champion missed the playoffs in the following season. Lemare was quoted as saying that the team lacked confidence. He also felt that the media, the fans, and some players, misread his commitment to defensive hockey as a detriment to offensive creativity, stating that he never stopped his players from being creative in the offensive zone. He ended up needing to repair his relationship with Devils team captain Scott Stevens due to his comment following the Ottawa game that the team suffered from a "lack of leadership". Stevens reportedly saw the remark as a personal attack, and so himself and Lemare ended up sitting down together in order to discuss the comment. Lemare later stated to the media that the remark was intended to be an indictment of the entire team, himself included.

The 1996 NHL free agent market officially opened on July 1, 1996, following the passing of the June 30 deadline for teams to file contracts with the league. The largest name to become a free agent on July 1 was Wayne Gretzky, who was released from the St. Louis Blues after the team failed to reach an agreement with Gretzky's agent. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Phoenix Coyotes and New York Rangers (who eventually signed him) were reported to have expressed interest in signing Gretzky, but New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters Gretzky did not fit with the team's financial plan. Lamoriello did express a desire to retain Phil Housley, an offensive-minded defenseman who was acquired by the Devils late in the 1995–96 season but who had been released by the team after failing to be signed prior to the deadline. The Devils were unable to sign Housley though, who signed a US$7.7 million three-year deal that included a no-trade clause with the Washington Capitals on July 22, 1996. Lamoriello stated that the team didn't want to make a long term offer, and would not consider a no-trade clause. He reportedly felt that Housley's previous $2.2 million salary was "astronomical".

Speculation the Devils would trade for all-star center Jeremy Roenick, 26 years old at the time, began following the Ranger's signing of Gretzky. In late August, Lou Lamoriello confirmed to the media he was attempting to bring Roenick, a restricted free agent, to the Devils via a trade. Any team signing Roenick out from the Phoenix Coyotes would be required to give the Coyotes five first-round draft picks in compensation, and Lamoriello was quoted as saying, "I have no intentions right now of giving up draft picks." Rumors were reported in the media that Lamoriello considered dealing forwards Bill Guerin, Brian Rolston, Mike Peluso and defenseman Scott Niedermayer for Roenick. Reports the next day reiterated Lamoriello's interest in Roenick, both for the Devils and as a player for Team USA, also included the possibility of including Stephane Richer in a potential trade. However, Richer was traded back to the Montreal Canadiens the following day in exchange for 28-year-old Lyle Odelein, whom the Devils immediately signed to a three-year contract at approximately $1.5 million per season. Roenick eventually signed with the Coyotes, despite interest from the Devils and Capitals, among others.

Amid rumors that the Devils were interested in dealing with the Detroit Red Wings for hold-out center Keith Primeau, Devils center Bobby Holik did not show up to training camp in what was described as a surprising decision on his part to not report to the team. Speculation among teammates and the media was that he wanted a trade. Neal Broten, who was considering retirement at the time, and Mike Peluso, who had been benched by Lemaire during the 1995–96 season and thought that he would be traded over the summer, did report to training camp along with 60 other players. Several regular players who were involved with the 1996 World Cup of Hockey tournament were scheduled to report to camp late.

Regular season

During the regular season, the Devils allowed the fewest goals (182), the fewest power-play goals (28), took the fewest penalties (235) and had the best penalty killing percentage (88.09%) in the league. Coincidentally, they also had the fewest power-play goals (40) and the fewest short-handed goals (4) in the league. Devils goaltenders combined to record 12 shutouts, the most in the NHL and 5 of those shutouts came in the final 10 games of the season.

Final standings

Atlantic Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	1	New Jersey Devils	82	45	23	14	231	182	104
2	3	Philadelphia Flyers	82	45	24	13	274	217	103
3	4	Florida Panthers	82	35	28	19	221	201	89
4	5	New York Rangers	82	38	34	10	258	231	86
5	9	Washington Capitals	82	33	40	9	214	231	75
6	11	Tampa Bay Lightning	82	32	40	10	217	247	74
7	12	New York Islanders	82	29	41	12	240	250	70

Eastern Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	New Jersey Devils	ATL	82	45	23	14	231	182	104
2	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	40	30	12	237	208	92
3	Philadelphia Flyers	ATL	82	45	24	13	274	217	103
4	Florida Panthers	ATL	82	35	28	19	221	201	89
5	New York Rangers	ATL	82	38	34	10	258	231	86
6	Pittsburgh Penguins	NE	82	38	36	8	285	280	84
7	Ottawa Senators	NE	82	31	36	15	226	234	77
8	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	31	36	15	249	276	77
9	Washington Capitals	ATL	82	33	40	9	214	231	75
10	Hartford Whalers	NE	82	32	39	11	226	256	75
11	Tampa Bay Lightning	ATL	82	32	40	10	217	247	74
12	New York Islanders	ATL	82	29	41	12	240	250	70
13	Boston Bruins	NE	82	26	47	9	234	300	61

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

(E1) New Jersey Devils vs. (E8) Montreal Canadiens

In the first game of the series against Montreal, on April 17, 1997, with the Devils up by two goals late in the game, Martin Brodeur fired the puck the length of the ice and into the Canadiens' empty net to ensure a 5–2 victory. It was only the second time in NHL history that a goaltender had scored in the playoffs, and the fifth time overall. In the game 2, the Devils were victorious by a score of 4–1. Games three and four were played at Molson Centre. The Devils won game 3 6–4. However, in game 4, Montreal was victorious by a score of 4–3 in the third overtime. Game 5 shifted back to New Jersey where the Devils shut out Montreal 4-0 and won the series 4–1.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(E1) New Jersey Devils vs. (E5) New York Rangers

The series opened at the Meadowlands. The Devils won 2–0 in Game 1, but New York evened the series in Game 2 by winning 2–0. Games 3 and 4 were played at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers won Game 3, 3–2, and Game 4, 3–0. Game 5 was back at the Meadowlands. New York won 2–1 in overtime and the series four games to one on a wraparound goal by Adam Graves to eliminate the Devils and advance.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1996–97 regular season
October: 4–5–1 (home: 3–2–1; road: 1–3–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 1 W October 5, 1996 3–1 Detroit Red Wings 1–0–0 Recap 2 L October 7, 1996 1–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers 1–1–0 Recap 3 L October 12, 1996 2–4 Dallas Stars 1–2–0 Recap 4 W October 15, 1996 3–2 Montreal Canadiens 2–2–0 Recap 5 T October 18, 1996 2–2 OT Ottawa Senators 2–2–1 Recap 6 L October 19, 1996 2–6 @ Hartford Whalers 2–3–1 Recap 7 W October 24, 1996 3–1 San Jose Sharks 3–3–1 Recap 8 W October 26, 1996 4–1 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 4–3–1 Recap 9 L October 29, 1996 2–5 @ Boston Bruins 4–4–1 Recap 10 L October 30, 1996 1–6 New York Rangers 4–5–1 Recap
November: 8–5–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 4–3–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 11 W November 2, 1996 2–1 Tampa Bay Lightning 5–5–1 Recap 12 W November 6, 1996 2–0 @ Detroit Red Wings 6–5–1 Recap 13 W November 7, 1996 4–2 @ Chicago Blackhawks 7–5–1 Recap 14 W November 9, 1996 4–0 New York Islanders 8–5–1 Recap 15 W November 12, 1996 3–2 OT Washington Capitals 9–5–1 Recap 16 L November 14, 1996 0–3 Vancouver Canucks 9–6–1 Recap 17 W November 16, 1996 6–3 Tampa Bay Lightning 10–6–1 Recap 18 W November 19, 1996 2–1 @ Ottawa Senators 11–6–1 Recap 19 L November 22, 1996 1–5 Washington Capitals 11–7–1 Recap 20 L November 23, 1996 3–4 @ Washington Capitals 11–8–1 Recap 21 W November 27, 1996 3–2 @ Dallas Stars 12–8–1 Recap 22 L November 28, 1996 3–4 OT @ Phoenix Coyotes 12–9–1 Recap 23 L November 30, 1996 1–2 @ Colorado Avalanche 12–10–1 Recap
December: 8–3–2 (home: 3–1–2; road: 5–2–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 24 W December 3, 1996 2–0 Florida Panthers 13–10–1 Recap 25 W December 5, 1996 2–1 Calgary Flames 14–10–1 Recap 26 L December 7, 1996 3–4 OT Phoenix Coyotes 14–11–1 Recap 27 W December 10, 1996 5–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 15–11–1 Recap 28 W December 12, 1996 7–4 @ Boston Bruins 16–11–1 Recap 29 T December 14, 1996 3–3 OT Montreal Canadiens 16–11–2 Recap 30 W December 16, 1996 5–0 @ Calgary Flames 17–11–2 Recap 31 W December 18, 1996 2–1 @ Vancouver Canucks 18–11–2 Recap 32 W December 20, 1996 3–2 @ Edmonton Oilers 19–11–2 Recap 33 T December 23, 1996 0–0 OT Buffalo Sabres 19–11–3 Recap 34 L December 26, 1996 1–4 @ New York Islanders 19–12–3 Recap 35 W December 28, 1996 5–3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 20–12–3 Recap 36 L December 31, 1996 5–6 @ Buffalo Sabres 20–13–3 Recap
January: 4–4–4 (home: 1–2–4; road: 3–2–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 37 L January 2, 1997 1–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 20–14–3 Recap 38 W January 3, 1997 1–0 @ Ottawa Senators 21–14–3 Recap 39 L January 5, 1997 3–5 St. Louis Blues 21–15–3 Recap 40 T January 8, 1997 1–1 OT Colorado Avalanche 21–15–4 Recap 41 T January 10, 1997 3–3 OT Chicago Blackhawks 21–15–5 Recap 42 L January 12, 1997 0–3 @ New York Rangers 21–16–5 Recap 43 W January 14, 1997 4–2 Boston Bruins 22–16–5 Recap 44 W January 21, 1997 4–1 @ Los Angeles Kings 23–16–5 Recap 45 L January 22, 1997 1–3 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 23–17–5 Recap 46 W January 24, 1997 3–1 @ San Jose Sharks 24–17–5 Recap 47 T January 29, 1997 1–1 OT Ottawa Senators 24–17–6 Recap 48 T January 31, 1997 3–3 OT Toronto Maple Leafs 24–17–7 Recap
February: 7–1–5 (home: 4–0–2; road: 3–1–3) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 49 T February 1, 1997 4–4 OT @ Montreal Canadiens 24–17–8 Recap 50 W February 5, 1997 4–1 New York Islanders 25–17–8 Recap 51 T February 7, 1997 2–2 OT Florida Panthers 25–17–9 Recap 52 W February 8, 1997 4–2 Philadelphia Flyers 26–17–9 Recap 53 W February 12, 1997 3–2 @ Hartford Whalers 27–17–9 Recap 54 W February 13, 1997 4–0 Hartford Whalers 28–17–9 Recap 55 W February 15, 1997 4–1 @ Montreal Canadiens 29–17–9 Recap 56 T February 17, 1997 2–2 OT @ New York Rangers 29–17–10 Recap 57 T February 19, 1997 1–1 OT New York Rangers 29–17–11 Recap 58 T February 20, 1997 2–2 OT @ Florida Panthers 29–17–12 Recap 59 L February 22, 1997 1–3 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 29–18–12 Recap 60 W February 26, 1997 5–3 @ New York Islanders 30–18–12 Recap 61 W February 27, 1997 4–1 Buffalo Sabres 31–18–12 Recap
March: 10–3–1 (home: 6–2–0; road: 4–1–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 62 W March 1, 1997 6–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 32–18–12 Recap 63 W March 4, 1997 3–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 33–18–12 Recap 64 W March 5, 1997 3–1 @ Philadelphia Flyers 34–18–12 Recap 65 L March 8, 1997 1–5 @ New York Islanders 34–19–12 Recap 66 W March 9, 1997 4–1 @ Buffalo Sabres 35–19–12 Recap 67 W March 11, 1997 6–1 Edmonton Oilers 36–19–12 Recap 68 W March 13, 1997 6–0 Hartford Whalers 37–19–12 Recap 69 W March 15, 1997 3–2 Washington Capitals 38–19–12 Recap 70 L March 17, 1997 1–4 Florida Panthers 38–20–12 Recap 71 T March 19, 1997 2–2 OT @ Washington Capitals 38–20–13 Recap 72 W March 22, 1997 3–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 39–20–13 Recap 73 L March 25, 1997 3–4 Philadelphia Flyers 39–21–13 Recap 74 W March 27, 1997 4–0 New York Rangers 40–21–13 Recap 75 W March 30, 1997 5–2 Los Angeles Kings 41–21–13 Recap
April: 4–2–1 (home: 2–0–0; road: 2–2–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 76 W April 1, 1997 1–0 @ Washington Capitals 42–21–13 Recap 77 W April 4, 1997 3–0 Tampa Bay Lightning 43–21–13 Recap 78 W April 6, 1997 2–0 @ St. Louis Blues 44–21–13 Recap 79 T April 8, 1997 2–2 OT @ Tampa Bay Lightning 44–21–14 Recap 80 L April 9, 1997 2–4 @ Florida Panthers 44–22–14 Recap 81 W April 11, 1997 2–0 Boston Bruins 45–22–14 Recap 82 L April 13, 1997 4–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers 45–23–14 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens – Devils win 4–1 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 W April 17, 1997 5–2 Montreal Canadiens Devils lead 1–0 Recap 2 W April 19, 1997 4–1 Montreal Canadiens Devils lead 2–0 Recap 3 W April 22, 1997 6–4 @ Montreal Canadiens Devils lead 3–0 Recap 4 L April 24, 1997 3–4 3OT @ Montreal Canadiens Devils lead 3–1 Recap 5 W April 26, 1997 4–0 Montreal Canadiens Devils win 4–1 Recap
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (5) New York Rangers – Rangers win 4–1 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 W May 2, 1997 2–0 New York Rangers Devils lead 1–0 Recap 2 L May 4, 1997 0–2 New York Rangers Series tied 1–1 Recap 3 L May 6, 1997 2–3 @ New York Rangers Rangers lead 2–1 Recap 4 L May 8, 1997 0–3 @ New York Rangers Rangers lead 3–1 Recap 5 L May 11, 1997 1–2 OT New York Rangers Rangers win 4–1 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Devils only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Devils only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
16	Bobby Holik	C	82	23	39	62	24	54	10	2	3	5	1	4
23	Dave Andreychuk	LW	82	27	34	61	38	48	1	0	0	0	0	0
15	John MacLean	RW	80	29	25	54	11	49	10	4	5	9	1	4
12	Bill Guerin	RW	82	29	18	47	−2	95	8	2	1	3	−5	18
14	Brian Rolston	LW	81	18	27	45	6	20	10	4	1	5	0	6
25	Valeri Zelepukin	LW	71	14	24	38	−10	36	8	3	2	5	3	2
27	Scott Niedermayer	D	81	5	30	35	−4	64	10	2	4	6	0	6
32	Steve Thomas	LW	57	15	19	34	9	46	10	1	1	2	−6	18
10	Denis Pederson	C	70	12	20	32	7	62	9	0	0	0	−2	2
21	Randy McKay	RW	77	9	18	27	15	109	10	1	1	2	1	0
4	Scott Stevens	D	79	5	19	24	26	70	10	0	4	4	−2	2
11	Steve Sullivan‡	RW	33	8	14	22	9	14	—	—	—	—	—	—
93	Doug Gilmour†	C	20	7	15	22	7	22	10	0	4	4	−2	14
29	Shawn Chambers	D	73	4	17	21	17	19	10	1	6	7	−2	6
19	Bobby Carpenter	C	62	4	15	19	6	14	10	1	2	3	2	2
24	Lyle Odelein	D	79	3	13	16	16	110	10	2	2	4	−3	19
20	Jay Pandolfo	LW	46	6	8	14	−1	6	6	0	1	1	−2	0
3	Ken Daneyko	D	77	2	7	9	24	70	10	0	0	0	1	28
2	Dave Ellett†	D	20	2	5	7	2	6	10	0	3	3	−1	10
28	Kevin Dean	D	28	2	4	6	2	6	1	1	0	1	1	0
26	Patrik Elias	LW	17	2	3	5	−4	2	8	2	3	5	0	4
18	Sergei Brylin	LW	29	2	2	4	−13	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
30	Martin Brodeur	G	67	0	4	4		8	10	1	0	1		0
33	Reid Simpson	LW	27	0	4	4	0	60	5	0	0	0	−1	29
26	Jason Smith‡	D	57	1	2	3	−8	38	—	—	—	—	—	—
17	Petr Sykora	RW	19	1	2	3	−8	4	2	0	0	0	1	2
22	Peter Zezel†	C	18	0	3	3	4	4	2	0	0	0	0	10
8	Mike Peluso‡	LW	20	0	2	2	0	68	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	Pascal Rheaume	C	2	1	0	1	1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
9	Neal Broten‡	C	3	0	1	1	−1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
1	Mike Dunham	G	26	0	0	0		2	—	—	—	—	—	—
26	Krzysztof Oliwa	LW	1	0	0	0	−1	5	—	—	—	—	—	—
5	Ricard Persson‡	D	1	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Jeff Reese	G	3	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—
9	Vadim Sharifijanov	LW	2	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—

Goaltending

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
		GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
30	Martin Brodeur	67	37	14	13	1633	120	1.88	.927	10	3838	10	5	5	268	19	1.73	.929	2	659
1	Mike Dunham	26	8	7	1	456	43	2.55	.906	2	1013	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Jeff Reese	3	0	2	0	65	13	5.62	.800	0	139	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Awards

Martin Brodeur was also a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy.

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	NHL Second All-Star Team	Martin Brodeur (Goaltender)
		Scott Stevens (Defense)
	William M. Jennings Trophy	Martin Brodeur
		Mike Dunham
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Martin Brodeur
		Scott Stevens
Team	Devils' Players' Player	Dave Andreychuk
	Hugh Delano Unsung Hero	Denis Pederson
	Most Valuable Devil	Martin Brodeur
	Three-Star Award	Martin Brodeur

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
1,000th game played	Bobby Carpenter	October 19, 1996
First game	Mike Dunham	October 29, 1996
	Jay Pandolfo	November 14, 1996
	Vadim Sharifijanov	January 3, 1997
	Pascal Rheaume	February 20, 1997
	Krzysztof Oliwa	March 9, 1997

Draft picks

The New Jersey Devils were 10th in order of selection at the 1996 NHL entry draft, held June 22, 1996, in St. Louis. In a move interpreted to be an affirmation of their commitment to a defense-first philosophy, the Devils chose 6–3, 195-pound Lance Ward of the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels, who had not been ranked anywhere near the tenth seed to observers, with their first pick.

"I was a bit surprised to go early because there are a lot of great players [here], but I'm a pretty happy kid right now", Ward said. "I was hoping to go in the first round but you never know what's going to happen. It was a pretty open field and I guess [the Devils] liked me. They flew me to Toronto for a physical test and an interview [last month] and I guess I did well." Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello was impressed with Ward's potential to be yet another hard-hitting New Jersey defenseman, stating, "We liked [Ward's] potential as far as his upside is concerned", Lamoriello said. "We have guys like Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko on our team and this young man [is like them]. He's strong now, he's mean, and he's got skills."

During the draft, the Devils traded backup goaltender Corey Schwab to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for their backup goalie Jeff Reese along with their second-round (47th overall) and eighth-round (198th overall) picks in the draft. The Devils then traded their original second round pick (28th overall) to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for the Penguins' two second-round picks (41st and 47th overall).

Rd #	Pick #	Player	Nat	Pos	Team (League)	Notes
1	10	Lance Ward	Canada	D	Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
2	38	Wes Mason	Canada	LW	Sarnia Sting (OHL)
2	41	Josh DeWolf	United States	D	Twin Cities Vulcans (USHL)
2	47	Pierre Dagenais	Canada	LW	Moncton Alpines (QMJHL)
2	49	Colin White	Canada	D	Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
3	63	Scott Parker	Canada	RW	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
4	91	Josef Boumedienne	Sweden	D	Huddinge IK (Allsvenskan)
4	101	Josh MacNevin	Canada	D	Vernon Vipers (BCJHL)
5	118	Glenn Crawford	Canada	LW	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
6	145	Sean Ritchlin	United States	RW	University of Michigan (CCHA)
7	173	Daryl Andrews	Canada	D	Melfort Mustangs (SJHL)
8	199	Willie Mitchell	Canada	D	Melfort Mustangs (SJHL)
8	205	Jay Bertsch	Canada	RW	Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
9	225	Pasi Petrilainen	Finland	D	Tappara (SM-liiga)

Notes

Media

This was the final season of television broadcast coverage on SportsChannel New York as the channel would rebrand itself to Fox Sports Net New York the following season.

References

• "New Jersey Devils 1996-97 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
• "1996-97 New Jersey Devils Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.