New Jersey Devils fans loved Scott Niedermayer, but did you know they have the Toronto Maple Leafs to thank for the opportunity to draft him with the fourth overall pick in the 1991 NHL Draft?
Yes, that’s right. In October 1991, the Devils and Maple Leafs struck a deal to send Tom Kurvers to Toronto in exchange for their 1991 first-round draft pick.
The #NJDevils Acquired the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first-round pick in the 1991 Draft on October 16, 1989, in exchange for defenceman Tom Kurvers. The Devils used the pick—third overall—to select Scott Niedermayer.
photo.twitter.com/yGhf5yCP9h— History of the New Jersey Devils (@DevilsOfYore) October 19, 2023
Tom Kurvers was a solid, experienced defenseman who had previously shown his skills with teams like the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota North Stars, but most would argue that it wasn’t worth giving up a first-round pick to acquire him.
The Devils were given a first-round pick, and since it was the beginning of the season, no one knew where it would land in the draft. Regardless, they added another first-round pick to get another shot at a top-end prospect.
View the original article to view the embedded media.
The Maple Leafs started the season 1-9-1 and their then GM, Floyd Smith, made a panic attack to help the team. They would eventually finish the season with a 30-43-7 (tie) for 67 points, which was fourth worst in the NHL.
This all but confirmed that the Devils would be making their choice on an elite NHL prospect. In a draft that featured Eric Lindros, Peter Forsberg, Markus Naslund and Brain Rolston as the top names, New Jersey entered the draft with the third and eleventh overall picks in the first round.
With the third pick they selected Niedermayer, and with the eleventh pick they selected Rolston. Both would go on to be impact players for the Devils, but the one who stands out the most is Niedermayer.
A highly touted defenseman for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, he quickly lived up to his promise as one of the top prospects in the draft, playing a major role for the team throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
It is one of the most iconic goals in #NJDevils history & it happened Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 20, 1995. Scott Niedermayer’s score tied the score at 2-2. The Devils won 4-2 to take a 2-0 series lead over Detroit.
photo.twitter.com/yGhf5yDmYP— History of the New Jersey Devils (@DevilsOfYore) June 23, 2024
During that time, he contributed to three Stanley Cup championships (1995, 2000, 2003) and won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman in 2004. In 1,263 games played, Niedermayer had 172 goals and 568 assists for 740 points and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.
As for Kurvers and the Maple Leafs, he played parts of two seasons, appearing in 89 games and recording 15 goals, 40 assists and 55 points. He was later traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Brian Bradley, who was later selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1992 expansion draft.
So to recap, the Devils traded Kurvers for a first-round pick in 1991, which turned out to be Niedermayer, and two years later the Maple Leafs got nothing in return. This was a masterful piece of work by GM Lou Lamoriello.
