2005–06 New Jersey Devils season

The 2005–06 New Jersey Devils season was the 32nd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 24th season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season.^[2] It was the team's first season back after the NHL canceled the previous season, due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. The Devils rallied from a poor first half of the season to win the Atlantic Division title on the last day of the season. For the first time, the Devils defeated the New York Rangers in a playoff series, sweeping their rivals in their opening-round matchup.

2005–06 New Jersey Devils
Atlantic Division champions
Division	1st Atlantic
Conference	3rd Eastern
2005–06 record	46–27–9
Home record	27–11–3
Road record	19–16–6
Goals for	242
Goals against	229
Team information
General manager	Lou Lamoriello
Coach	Larry Robinson (Oct.–Dec.) Lou Lamoriello (Dec.–May)
Captain	Vacant
Alternate captains	Patrik Elias (Jan.–Apr.) John Madden Alexander Mogilny (Oct.–Jan.) Colin White Brian Rafalski
Arena	Continental Airlines Arena
Average attendance	14,230[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)	Albany River Rats
Team leaders
Goals	Brian Gionta (48)
Assists	Scott Gomez (51)
Points	Brian Gionta (89)
Penalty minutes	Cam Janssen and Colin White (91)
Plus/minus	Brian Gionta (+18)
Wins	Martin Brodeur (43)
Goals against average	Martin Brodeur (2.57)
← 2004–05 2006–07 →

Season overview

Many of the Devils' players had played in other leagues while the NHL was inactive due to the lockout. Most notably was Patrik Elias, who missed the first 39 games of the season due to catching Hepatitis A while playing for the Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Superleague (RSL).^[3] With many new rule changes for the 2005–06 season, the Devils had to change their style of play. Martin Brodeur, one of the best puck-handling goalies, could no longer use this to his advantage as before, since restrictions were placed on where goalies could handle the puck. The Devils also lost long-time captain Scott Stevens and his physically punishing style of play to retirement, as well as another longtime defenseman, Scott Niedermayer, to free agency. Eventually, Niedermeyer signed with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, joining his brother, Rob.

In July 2005, the team announced that head coach Pat Burns would not return for the season after being diagnosed with cancer for the second time in little more than a year.^[4] Assistant coach Larry Robinson, the team's head coach from 2000 to 2002, was promoted to start the season.

On September 16, 2005, longtime Devils owner John McMullen passed away. In honor of his memory, the Devils jerseys had a small "JM" patch on them.^[5]

The Devils struggled early in the 2005–06 season, ending the 2005 calendar year with a 16–18–5 record.^[6] Robinson resigned as head coach on December 19, and Lamoriello moved down to the bench.^[7] Once Elias returned from his bout with hepatitis, the team quickly turned around with a nine-game winning streak, finishing 46–27–9 after a season-ending 11-game winning streak capped with a dramatic 4–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. During that final victory, which clinched the Devils' sixth division title, Brian Gionta set a new team record for goals in a season with 48, topping Pat Verbeek's 46.^[8] The win streak to close the year was also an NHL record.^[9]

On April 29, 2006, the Devils won their first round Stanley Cup playoff series against the New York Rangers four games to none, extending their winning streak to 15 games and marking the first time the Devils defeated their cross-river rival in a playoff series. The team's season ended in the next round with a 4–1 Game 5 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, who eventually won the Stanley Cup.

Regular season

The Devils were the most disciplined team in the League, with just 349 power-play opportunities against. They also scored the fewest short-handed goals in the League, with just 3.^[10]

Season standings

Atlantic Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	3	New Jersey Devils	82	46	27	9	242	229	101
2	5	Philadelphia Flyers	82	45	26	11	267	259	101
3	6	New York Rangers	82	44	26	12	257	215	100
4	12	New York Islanders	82	36	40	6	230	278	78
5	15	Pittsburgh Penguins	82	22	46	14	244	316	58

^[11]

Eastern Conference^[12]

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	Z- Ottawa Senators	NE	82	52	21	9	314	211	113
2	Y- Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	52	22	8	294	260	112
3	Y- New Jersey Devils	AT	82	46	27	9	242	229	101
4	X- Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	52	24	6	242	239	110
5	X- Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	45	26	11	267	259	101
6	X- New York Rangers	AT	82	44	26	12	257	215	100
7	X- Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	42	31	9	243	247	93
8	X- Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	43	33	6	252	260	92
8.5
9	Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	41	33	8	257	270	90
10	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	41	33	8	281	275	90
11	Florida Panthers	SE	82	37	34	11	240	257	85
12	New York Islanders	AT	82	36	40	6	230	278	78
13	Boston Bruins	NE	82	29	37	16	230	266	74
14	Washington Capitals	SE	82	29	41	12	237	306	70
15	Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	22	46	14	244	316	58

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

Z – Clinched conference; Y – Clinched division; X – Clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

The first two games of the series were held at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey. The Devils took commanding victories in Games 1 and 2, 6–1 and 4–1, respectively. Games 3 and 4 were held at Madison Square Garden. The Devils won Game 3 (3–0) and swept the series in Game 4 by a score of 4–2.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

The series opened at RBC Center in Raleigh. The Hurricanes won Game 1, 6–0, and Game 2, 3–2, in overtime. Games 3 and 4 shifted to Continental Airlines Arena. The Hurricanes took a 3–2 win in Game 3, but the Devils won 5–1 in Game 4. Game 5 shifted back to Raleigh and Carolina beat New Jersey 4–1, winning the series 4–1.

Schedule and results

Preseason

2005 preseason
Preseason: 3–2–0 (home: 3–0–0; road: 0–2–0) Game Date Score Opponent Record Recap 1 September 25, 2005 3–2 SO New York Islanders 1–0–0 W 2 September 27, 2005 3–1 New York Rangers 2–0–0 W 3 September 29, 2005 2–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers 2–1–0 L 4 September 30, 2005 5–3 Philadelphia Flyers 3–1–0 W 5 October 2, 2005 2–3 @ New York Rangers 3–2–0 L
Legend: W Win (2 points) L Loss (0 points) OTL Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Regular season

2005–06 regular season[13]
October: 6–5–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 2–3–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 1 W October 5, 2005 5–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 1–0–0 W 2 L October 7, 2005 2–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 1–1–0 L 3 W October 8, 2005 3–2 OT New York Rangers (2005–06) 2–1–0 W 4 L October 13, 2005 1–4 @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 2–2–0 L 5 L October 15, 2005 1–6 Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 2–3–0 L 6 W October 18, 2005 4–3 Florida Panthers (2005–06) 3–3–0 W 7 W October 20, 2005 6–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 4–3–0 W 8 L October 22, 2005 3–4 @ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 4–4–0 L 9 L October 26, 2005 3–6 Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 4–5–0 L 10 W October 28, 2005 3–2 Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 5–5–0 W 11 W October 29, 2005 5–4 SO @ Boston Bruins (2005–06) 6–5–0 W
November: 6–5–2 (home: 3–2–1; road: 3–3–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 12 L November 1, 2005 3–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 6–5–1 OTL 13 L November 3, 2005 2–4 New York Rangers (2005–06) 6–6–1 L 14 L November 5, 2005 2–3 SO @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 6–6–2 OTL 15 L November 8, 2005 1–4 New York Islanders (2005–06) 6–7–2 L 16 W November 11, 2005 4–3 @ Washington Capitals (2005–06) 7–7–2 W 17 W November 12, 2005 3–2 Washington Capitals (2005–06) 8–7–2 W 18 L November 15, 2005 1–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 8–8–2 L 19 W November 18, 2005 5–3 Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 9–8–2 W 20 L November 19, 2005 4–5 @ Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 9–9–2 L 21 W November 23, 2005 5–1 @ Florida Panthers (2005–06) 10–9–2 W 22 W November 25, 2005 8–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 11–9–2 W 23 W November 29, 2005 3–2 Boston Bruins (2005–06) 12–9–2 W 24 L November 30, 2005 1–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 12–10–2 L
December: 4–8–3 (home: 3–3–2; road: 1–5–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 25 W December 3, 2005 3–2 SO Minnesota Wild (2005–06) 13–10–2 W 26 L December 6, 2005 2–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (2005–06) 13–11–2 L 27 L December 7, 2005 1–4 Calgary Flames (2005–06) 13–12–2 L 28 L December 9, 2005 3–4 SO Colorado Avalanche (2005–06) 13–12–3 OTL 29 L December 11, 2005 2–3 OT @ Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06) 13–12–4 OTL 30 W December 13, 2005 2–1 SO Edmonton Oilers (2005–06) 14–12–4 W 31 L December 15, 2005 2–3 OT Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 14–12–5 OTL 32 L December 17, 2005 1–4 @ Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 14–13–5 L 33 W December 20, 2005 3–1 @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 15–13–5 W 34 L December 21, 2005 2–4 @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 15–14–5 L 35 L December 23, 2005 0–1 Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 15–15–5 L 36 L December 26, 2005 1–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 15–16–5 L 37 W December 28, 2005 7–2 Washington Capitals (2005–06) 16–16–5 W 38 L December 29, 2005 2–6 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 16–17–5 L 39 L December 31, 2005 3–6 Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 16–18–5 L
January: 10–2–1 (home: 5–0–0; road: 5–2–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 40 W January 3, 2006 3–0 Florida Panthers (2005–06) 17–18–5 W 41 W January 5, 2006 5–4 Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 18–18–5 W 42 W January 7, 2006 3–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 19–18–5 W 43 W January 9, 2006 3–0 Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 20–18–5 W 44 W January 13, 2006 3–0 Vancouver Canucks (2005–06) 21–18–5 W 45 W January 15, 2006 3–2 SO @ Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06) 22–18–5 W 46 W January 17, 2006 5–3 @ St. Louis Blues (2005–06) 23–18–5 W 47 W January 19, 2006 4–3 SO @ Nashville Predators (2005–06) 24–18–5 W 48 W January 21, 2006 3–2 SO New York Islanders (2005–06) 25–18–5 W 49 L January 22, 2006 1–3 @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 25–19–5 L 50 W January 24, 2006 4–0 @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 26–19–5 W 51 L January 26, 2006 0–1 OT @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 26–19–6 OTL 52 L January 27, 2006 0–4 @ Florida Panthers (2005–06) 26–20–6 L
February: 4–2–0 (home: 3–1–0; road: 1–1–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 53 W February 1, 2006 5–3 Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 27–20–6 W 54 W February 3, 2006 3–0 Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 28–20–6 W 55 L February 4, 2006 2–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 28–21–6 L 56 W February 7, 2006 7–4 Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 29–21–6 W 57 W February 9, 2006 3–2 OT @ Boston Bruins (2005–06) 30–21–6 W 58 L February 11, 2006 1–2 New York Islanders (2005–06) 30–22–6 L
March: 7–5–3 (home: 5–3–0; road: 2–2–3) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 59 W March 1, 2006 2–1 SO Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 31–22–6 W 60 L March 2, 2006 2–3 SO @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 31–22–7 OTL 61 W March 4, 2006 2–1 New York Rangers (2005–06) 32–22–7 W 62 L March 7, 2006 1–2 SO @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 32–22–8 OTL 63 W March 10, 2006 4–3 SO @ Washington Capitals (2005–06) 33–22–8 W 64 L March 11, 2006 3–6 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 33–23–8 L 65 L March 14, 2006 1–6 New York Islanders (2005–06) 33–24–8 L 66 W March 16, 2006 2–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 34–24–8 W 67 L March 19, 2006 0–4 Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 34–25–8 L 68 L March 21, 2006 1–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 34–26–8 L 69 L March 23, 2006 5–6 OT @ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 34–26–9 OTL 70 W March 24, 2006 4–2 Boston Bruins (2005–06) 35–26–9 W 71 L March 26, 2006 3–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 35–27–9 L 72 W March 28, 2006 3–2 SO @ Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 36–27–9 W 73 W March 30, 2006 3–1 Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 37–27–9 W
April: 9–0–0 (home: 4–0–0; road: 5–0–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 74 W April 1, 2006 4–1 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 38–27–9 W 75 W April 2, 2006 3–2 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 39–27–9 W 76 W April 5, 2006 6–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 40–27–9 W 77 W April 8, 2006 3–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 41–27–9 W 78 W April 9, 2006 3–2 New York Rangers (2005–06) 42–27–9 W 79 W April 11, 2006 4–3 OT @ Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 43–27–9 W 80 W April 13, 2006 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 44–27–9 W 81 W April 16, 2006 5–1 Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 45–27–9 W 82 W April 18, 2006 4–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 46–27–9 W
Legend: W Win (2 points) L Loss (0 points) OTL Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Playoffs

2006 Stanley Cup playoffs[13]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (6) New York Rangers – Devils win 4–0 Game Result Date Score Opponent Attendance Series Recap 1 W April 22, 2006 6–1 New York Rangers 19,040 Devils lead 1–0 W 2 W April 24, 2006 4–1 New York Rangers 19,040 Devils lead 2–0 W 3 W April 26, 2006 3–0 @ New York Rangers 18,200 Devils lead 3–0 W 4 W April 29, 2006 4–2 @ New York Rangers 18,200 Devils win 4–0 W
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (2) Carolina Hurricanes – Hurricanes win 4–1 Game Result Date Score Opponent Attendance Series Recap 1 L May 6, 2006 0–6 @ Carolina Hurricanes 18,730 Hurricanes lead 1–0 L 2 L May 8, 2006 2–3 OT @ Carolina Hurricanes 18,730 Hurricanes lead 2–0 L 3 L May 10, 2006 2–3 Carolina Hurricanes 16,862 Hurricanes lead 3–0 L 4 W May 13, 2006 5–1 Carolina Hurricanes 17,585 Hurricanes lead 3–1 W 5 L May 14, 2006 1–4 @ Carolina Hurricanes 18,730 Hurricanes win 4–1 L
Legend: W Win L 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
14	Brian Gionta	RW	82	48	41	89	18	46	9	3	4	7	−1	2
23	Scott Gomez	C	82	33	51	84	8	42	9	5	4	9	−1	6
15	Jamie Langenbrunner	RW	80	19	34	53	−1	74	9	3	10	13	5	16
28	Brian Rafalski	D	82	6	43	49	0	36	9	1	8	9	3	2
26	Patrik Elias	LW	38	16	29	45	11	20	9	6	10	16	5	4
18	Sergei Brylin	LW	82	15	22	37	−4	46	9	2	0	2	5	2
7	Paul Martin	D	80	5	32	37	1	32	9	0	3	3	6	4
11	John Madden	C	82	16	20	36	−7	36	9	4	1	5	2	8
9	Zach Parise	LW	81	14	18	32	−1	28	9	1	2	3	0	2
22	Viktor Kozlov	C	69	12	13	25	0	16	3	0	0	0	−1	0
89	Alexander Mogilny	RW	34	12	13	25	−7	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
29	Grant Marshall	RW	76	8	17	25	−18	70	7	0	1	1	0	8
20	Jay Pandolfo	LW	82	10	10	20	2	16	9	1	4	5	1	0
5	Colin White	D	73	3	14	17	−2	91	4	0	0	0	0	4
8	Sean Brown‡	D	35	1	11	12	−14	27	—	—	—	—	—	—
24	Richard Matvichuk	D	62	1	10	11	2	40	7	0	0	0	5	4
10	Erik Rasmussen	C	67	5	5	10	−4	32	9	0	0	0	−1	8
2	Vladimir Malakhov‡	D	29	4	5	9	−9	26	—	—	—	—	—	—
21	Brad Lukowich†	D	18	1	7	8	3	8	9	0	0	0	0	4
6	Tommy Albelin†	D	36	0	6	6	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	2
2[a]	Dan McGillis	D	27	0	6	6	−5	36	—	—	—	—	—	—
2	David Hale	D	38	0	4	4	5	21	8	0	2	2	−1	12
30	Martin Brodeur	G	73	0	3	3		4	9	0	0	0		2
19	Tuomas Pihlman	LW	11	1	1	2	−1	10	—	—	—	—	—	—
27[b]	Barry Tallackson	RW	10	1	1	2	−2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
16	Alexander Suglobov‡	RW	1	1	0	1	−2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
16	Jason Wiemer†	C	16	1	0	1	−1	38	8	0	0	0	0	16
17	Darren Langdon	LW	14	0	1	1	−3	22	—	—	—	—	—	—
40	Scott Clemmensen	G	13	0	0	0		0	1	0	0	0		0
25	Cam Janssen	RW	47	0	0	0	−3	91	9	0	0	0	0	26
8	Ken Klee†	D	18	0	0	0	−3	14	6	1	0	1	−1	6
19	Krzysztof Oliwa	LW	3	0	0	0	−2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
21	Pascal Rheaume‡	C	12	0	0	0	−6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
19	Jason Ryznar	LW	8	0	0	0	−1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—

Goaltending

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
		GP	W	L	OT	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
30	Martin Brodeur	73	43	23	7	2105	187	2.57	.911	5	4365	9	5	4	261	20	2.25	.923	1	533
40	Scott Clemmensen	13	3	4	2	295	35	3.35	.881	0	627	1	0	0	3	0	0.00	1.000	0	7

Awards and records

Awards

Martin Brodeur also finished second in voting for the Vezina Trophy.^[14]

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	NHL Second All-Star Team	Martin Brodeur (Goaltender)	[15]
League (in-season)	NHL Defensive Player of the Month	Martin Brodeur (January)	[16]
	NHL Defensive Player of the Week	Martin Brodeur (January 18)	[17]
	NHL Offensive Player of the Week	Scott Gomez (April 9)	[18]
Team	Devils' Players' Player	Jay Pandolfo	[19]
	Hugh Delano Unsung Hero	Jay Pandolfo	[19]
	Most Valuable Devil	Brian Gionta	[19]
	Three-Star Award	Brian Gionta	[19]

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Zach Parise	October 5, 2005	[20]
	Cam Janssen	November 5, 2005
	Barry Tallackson	November 12, 2005
	Jason Ryznar	January 24, 2006

Transactions

The Devils were involved in the following transactions from February 17, 2005, the day after the 2004–05 NHL season was officially cancelled, through June 19, 2006, the day of the deciding game of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.^[21]

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
September 26, 2005 (2005-09-26)	To Washington Capitals Jeff Friesen	To New Jersey Devils Conditional draft pick in 2006[c]	[23]
November 25, 2005 (2005-11-25)	To Phoenix Coyotes Pascal Rheaume Ray Schultz Steven Spencer	To New Jersey Devils Brad Ference	[24]
March 8, 2006 (2006-03-08)	To Toronto Maple Leafs Aleksander Suglobov	To New Jersey Devils Ken Klee	[25]
March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09)	To New York Islanders 3rd-round pick in 2006	To New Jersey Devils Brad Lukowich	[26]
	To Vancouver Canucks Sean Brown	To New Jersey Devils 4th-round pick in 2006	[26]
	To Calgary Flames Conditional 4th-round pick in 2006[d]	To New Jersey Devils Jason Wiemer	[27]

Players acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Via	Ref
August 4, 2005 (2005-08-04)	Vladimir Malakhov	Philadelphia Flyers	2-year	Free agency	[28]
	Dan McGillis	Boston Bruins	2-year	Free agency	[28]
August 6, 2005 (2005-08-06)	Bryan Miller	Albany River Rats (AHL)		Free agency	[29]
August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12)	David Clarkson	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)		Free agency	[30]
	Frank Doyle	Idaho Steelheads (ECHL)		Free agency	[30]
August 16, 2005 (2005-08-16)	Alexander Mogilny	Toronto Maple Leafs	2-year	Free agency	[31]
April 4, 2006 (2006-04-04)	Andy Greene	Miami University (CCHA)		Free agency	[32]

Players lost

Date	Player	New team	Via[e]	Ref
N/A	Matus Kostur	HK Riga 2000 (BHL)	Free agency (UFA)	[34]
June 3, 2005 (2005-06-03)	Jiri Bicek	Leksands IF (SHL)	Free agency (UFA)	[35]
June 17, 2005 (2005-06-17)	Eric Johansson	Mora IK (SHL)	Free agency (UFA)	[36]
August 4, 2005 (2005-08-04)	Scott Niedermayer	Anaheim Mighty Ducks	Free agency (III)	[37]
August 10, 2005 (2005-08-10)	Jan Hrdina	Columbus Blue Jackets	Free agency (UFA)	[38]
August 19, 2005 (2005-08-19)	Brett Clouthier	Ottawa Senators	Free agency (UFA)	[39]
September 6, 2005 (2005-09-06)	Scott Stevens		Retirement (III)	[40]
September 14, 2005 (2005-09-14)	Phil Cole	Augusta Lynx (ECHL)	Free agency (UFA)	[41]
September 26, 2005 (2005-09-26)	Rob Skrlac		Retirement (VI)	[42]
December 19, 2005 (2005-12-19)	Vladimir Malakhov		Retirement	[43]
April 26, 2006 (2006-04-26)	Teemu Kesa	HC TPS (Liiga)	Free agency	[44]
May 15, 2006 (2006-05-15)	Ari Ahonen	Espoo Blues (Liiga)	Free agency	[45]
May 17, 2006 (2006-05-17)	Ilkka Pikkarainen	HIFK (Liiga)	Free agency[f]	[47]

Signings

Date	Player	Term	Contract type	Ref
August 4, 2005 (2005-08-04)	Brian Rafalski	2-year	Re-signing	[28]
August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12)	Sean Brown		Re-signing	[48]
	Brian Gionta	1-year	Re-signing	[49]
	Scott Gomez	1-year	Re-signing	[50]
	Viktor Kozlov	1-year	Re-signing	[49]
	Jamie Langenbrunner	1-year	Re-signing	[49]
	Jason Ryznar		Entry-level	[30]
	Barry Tallackson		Entry-level	[30]
August 17, 2005 (2005-08-17)	Ari Ahonen		Re-signing	[51]
August 23, 2005 (2005-08-23)	Patrik Elias	1-year	Re-signing	[52]
September 21, 2005 (2005-09-21)	Jeff Friesen		Re-signing	[53]
	Paul Martin		Re-signing	[54]
	Colin White		Re-signing	[55]
September 24, 2005 (2005-09-24)	Krisjanis Redlihs		Re-signing	[56]
September 28, 2005 (2005-09-28)	Matt DeMarchi		Re-signing	[57]
September 29, 2005 (2005-09-29)	David Hale		Re-signing	[58]
	Ilkka Pikkarainen		Re-signing	[59]
October 3, 2005 (2005-10-03)	Niclas Bergfors	3-year	Entry-level	[60]
December 20, 2005 (2005-12-20)	Tommy Albelin		Re-signing[g]	[61]
January 27, 2006 (2006-01-27)	Martin Brodeur	6-year	Extension	[62]
April 14, 2006 (2006-04-14)	Travis Zajac		Entry-level	[63]
June 5, 2006 (2006-06-05)	Patrick Davis		Entry-level	[64]
	Mark Fraser		Entry-level	[64]
	Sean Zimmerman		Entry-level	[64]

Draft picks

New Jersey's picks at the 2005 NHL entry draft at The Westin Ottawa in Ottawa, Ottawa.^[65]

Rd #	Pick #	Player	Nat	Pos	Team (League)	Notes
1	23	Nicklas Bergfors	Sweden	RW	Södertälje SK (Elitserien)
2	38	Jeff Frazee	United States	G	US National Team Development Program
3	84	Mark Fraser	Canada	D	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
4	99	Patrick Davis	United States	LW	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
5	155	Mark Fayne	United States	D	Noble and Greenough School (USHS–MA)
6	170	Sean Zimmerman	United States	D	Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
7	218	Alexander Sundstrom	Sweden	C	IF Björklöven (Allsvenskan)

Media

Television broadcasts were now under the Fox Sports Networks (aka FSN) with Mike Emrick commentating the play-by-play, Chico Resch serving as color commentator, and Matt Loughlin serving as the TV host. Radio broadcasts were now on WFAN (AM) 660 still called John Hennessy as play-by-play commentator with Randy Velischek as color commentator. This was Hennessy's final season as a radio play-by-play commentator for the Devils, as Loughlin took his place the following season. This was also Velischek's final season as a radio color commentator as Sherry Ross returned the following year.

See also

• 2005–06 NHL season

Notes

1. McGillis originally wore number 6 and switched numbers when Albelin was signed.
2. Tallackson wore number 19 in his first two games.
3. Eventually determined to be a 3rd-round pick.^[22]
4. Calgary would receive the later of New Jersey's 4th-round pick or Vancouver's 4th-round pick, which New Jersey had previously acquired. Calgary received New Jersey's original 4th-rounder.
5. In parentheses is the player's free agency group on August 1 if applicable.^[33]
6. New Jersey retained Pikkarainen's NHL rights and re-signed him on July 2, 2009.^[46]
7. Albelin came out of retirement.