# 2003–04 New Jersey Devils season

The 2003–04 New Jersey Devils season was the 30th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 22nd season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season.
Like the 2001–02 NHL season, the Devils finished 6th in the Eastern Conference and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The team started the season really impressive, winning 17 of their first 30 games. However, in the 2004 calendar year, they were 24–19–4–1, causing them to finish sixth in the conference, second in the division and lose to one of their division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers in five games in the quarterfinals. They were also marred by injured defenseman Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski which also caused them to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

## Regular season

The defending Stanley Cup champions, the Devils only allowed 164 goals, the lowest total ever allowed by a team under the 82-game regular-season format. The Devils also shut out their opponents 14 times, a league-high. Furthermore, they were the most disciplined team in the League, finishing with the regular season with the fewest power-play opportunities against (266) and the fewest power-play goals allowed (39).
Defenseman Scott Stevens exited the lineup in January with what was first reported to be the flu, but was later diagnosed as post-concussion syndrome. With Stevens out indefinitely, Scott Niedermayer served as interim captain for the remainder of the season.
* March 23, 2004 – In an overtime victory over the Florida Panthers, Martin Brodeur earned his 400th career victory. At the time, he was the youngest goalie to win 400 career games.

### Final standings

Atlantic Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS |
| 1 | 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 40 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 229 | 186 | 101 |
| 2 | 6 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 43 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 213 | 164 | 100 |
| 3 | 8 | New York Islanders | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 237 | 210 | 91 |
| 4 | 13 | New York Rangers | 82 | 27 | 40 | 7 | 8 | 206 | 250 | 69 |
| 5 | 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 23 | 47 | 8 | 4 | 190 | 303 | 58 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Z- Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 46 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 245 | 192 | 106 |
| 2 | Y- Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 41 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 209 | 188 | 104 |
| 3 | Y- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 40 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 209 | 188 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 45 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 242 | 204 | 103 |
| 5 | X- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 43 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 262 | 189 | 102 |
| 6 | X- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 43 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 213 | 164 | 100 |
| 7 | X- Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 208 | 192 | 93 |
| 8 | X- New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 237 | 210 | 91 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 37 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 220 | 221 | 85 |
| 10 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 33 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 214 | 243 | 78 |
| 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 28 | 34 | 14 | 6 | 172 | 209 | 76 |
| 12 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 28 | 35 | 15 | 4 | 188 | 221 | 75 |
| 13 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 27 | 40 | 7 | 8 | 206 | 250 | 69 |
| 14 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 23 | 46 | 10 | 3 | 186 | 253 | 59 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 23 | 47 | 8 | 4 | 190 | 303 | 58 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Playoffs
### Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
#### (E6) New Jersey Devils vs. (E3) Philadelphia Flyers

The series opened at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, and the Flyers won both games 1 and 2 3–2 over New Jersey. Games three and four were played at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey. The Devils won game three 4–2, but the Flyers were victorious in game four by a score of 3–0. Game five was played back in Philadelphia, and the Flyers won that game 3-1 and won the series 4 games to 1.

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

2003 preseason :
Preseason: 3–6–0 (home: 1–2–0; road: 2–4–0)
GameDateScoreOpponentLocationRecord
1September 196–1Philadelphia FlyersWachovia Center0–1–0
2September 233–0Philadelphia FlyersSovereign Bank Arena1–1–0
3September 242–1New York IslandersContinental Airlines Arena1–2–0
4September 264–5 (OT)Philadelphia FlyersWachovia Center1–3–0
5September 274–2Philadelphia FlyersContinental Airlines Arena2–3–0
6September 301–0Boston BruinsDunkin' Donuts Center2–4–0
7October 14–2New York RangersMadison Square Garden3–4–0
8October 32–0New York RangersContinental Airlines Arena3–5–0
9October 45–1New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum3–6–0 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Regular season

2003–04 regular season :
October: 4–3–2–0 (home: 1–3–1–0; road: 3–0–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordPointsRecap
1TOctober 8, 20033–3 OT@ Boston Bruins (2003–04)0–0–1–01Recap
2WOctober 11, 20032–1@ Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)1–0–1–03Recap
3TOctober 16, 20032–2 OTToronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)1–0–2–04Recap
4LOctober 18, 20032–3Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)1–1–2–04Recap
5LOctober 22, 20031–2Florida Panthers (2003–04)1–2–2–04Recap
6WOctober 24, 20032–1@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)2–2–2–06Recap
7LOctober 25, 20032–5Boston Bruins (2003–04)2–3–2–06Recap
8WOctober 28, 20034–0@ New York Islanders (2003–04)3–3–2–08Recap
9WOctober 30, 20033–2Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)4–3–2–010Recap :
November: 8–1–4–0 (home: 6–0–1–0; road: 2–1–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordPointsRecap
10WNovember 1, 20034–3Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)5–3–2–012Recap
11WNovember 5, 20033–2 OTSan Jose Sharks (2003–04)6–3–2–014Recap
12TNovember 7, 20031–1 OTToronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)6–3–3–015Recap
13WNovember 8, 20031–0@ Ottawa Senators (2003–04)7–3–3–017Recap
14TNovember 12, 20032–2 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)7–3–4–018Recap
15WNovember 13, 20033–1Florida Panthers (2003–04)8–3–4–020Recap
16WNovember 15, 20035–0New York Rangers (2003–04)9–3–4–022Recap
17WNovember 19, 20034–1Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)10–3–4–024Recap
18WNovember 21, 20032–1 OTPittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)11–3–4–026Recap
19WNovember 25, 20034–0@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)12–3–4–028Recap
20TNovember 26, 20033–3 OT@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)12–3–5–029Recap
21LNovember 28, 20030–2@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)12–4–5–029Recap
22TNovember 30, 20031–1 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)12–4–6–030Recap :
December: 7–3–2–1 (home: 2–1–1–1; road: 5–2–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordPointsRecap
23LDecember 2, 20031–3Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)12–5–6–030Recap
24WDecember 4, 20033–0Washington Capitals (2003–04)13–5–6–031Recap
25WDecember 6, 20032–1@ Ottawa Senators (2003–04)14–5–6–033Recap
26WDecember 10, 20031–0 OTNew York Islanders (2003–04)15–5–6–035Recap
27TDecember 12, 20033–3 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (2003–04)15–5–7–036Recap
28WDecember 13, 20032–0@ Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)16–5–7–038Recap
29LDecember 16, 20034–5@ New York Islanders (2003–04)16–6–7–038Recap
30WDecember 18, 20033–0@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)17–6–7–040Recap
31WDecember 19, 20035–2@ Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)18–6–7–042Recap
32TDecember 21, 20032–2 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)18–6–8–043Recap
33OTLDecember 26, 20033–4 OTNew York Islanders (2003–04)18–6–8–144Recap
34WDecember 27, 20032–0@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)19–6–8–146Recap
35LDecember 29, 20031–3@ New York Islanders (2003–04)19–7–8–146Recap :
January: 8–6–2–0 (home: 4–4–0–0; road: 4–2–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordPointsRecap
36TJanuary 1, 20042–2 OT@ Washington Capitals (2003–04)19–7–9–147Recap
37LJanuary 3, 20042–3@ Nashville Predators (2003–04)19–8–9–147Recap
38WJanuary 5, 20043–2 OTEdmonton Oilers (2003–04)20–8–9–149Recap
39LJanuary 7, 20042–4Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)20–9–9–149Recap
40LJanuary 9, 20041–4Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)20–10–9–149Recap
41WJanuary 10, 20041–0@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)21–10–9–151Recap
42LJanuary 13, 20040–4Ottawa Senators (2003–04)21–11–9–151Recap
43TJanuary 15, 20043–3 OT@ New York Rangers (2003–04)21–11–10–152Recap
44WJanuary 17, 20042–1 OTWashington Capitals (2003–04)22–11–10–154Recap
45WJanuary 20, 20043–0@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)23–11–10–156Recap
46LJanuary 21, 20041–2Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)23–12–10–156Recap
47WJanuary 23, 20042–0Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)24–12–10–158Recap
48WJanuary 25, 20043–2Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)25–12–10–161Recap
49WJanuary 27, 20044–3@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)26–12–10–163Recap
50LJanuary 29, 20042–5@ Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)26–13–10–163Recap
51WJanuary 31, 20044–1@ St. Louis Blues (2003–04)27–13–10–165Recap :
February: 6–6–1–0 (home: 5–3–1–0; road: 1–3–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordPointsRecap
52WFebruary 3, 20042–1Ottawa Senators (2003–04)28–13–10–167Recap
53LFebruary 5, 20040–4Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)28–14–10–167Recap
54LFebruary 10, 20041–4@ Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)28–15–10–167Recap
55LFebruary 11, 20041–3New York Rangers (2003–04)28–16–10–167Recap
56WFebruary 14, 20044–1Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)29–16–10–169Recap
57WFebruary 15, 20043–2 OTLos Angeles Kings (2003–04)30–16–10–171Recap
58TFebruary 17, 20044–4 OTMinnesota Wild (2003–04)30–16–11–172Recap
59LFebruary 19, 20041–3@ Washington Capitals (2003–04)30–17–11–172Recap
60WFebruary 21, 20047–3@ New York Rangers (2003–04)31–17–11–174Recap
61WFebruary 22, 20043–1Calgary Flames (2003–04)32–17–11–176Recap
62WFebruary 25, 20048–2Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)33–17–11–178Recap
63LFebruary 27, 20042–3Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)33–18–11–178Recap
64LFebruary 28, 20040–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)33–19–11–178Recap :
March: 9–5–1–1 (home: 4–1–1–0; road: 5–4–0–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordPointsRecap
65LMarch 1, 20041–2@ Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)33–20–11–178Recap
66WMarch 3, 20045–2@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)34–20–11–180Recap
67OTLMarch 5, 20042–3 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)34–20–11–281Recap
68WMarch 6, 20044–1@ Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)35–20–11–283Recap
69LMarch 9, 20041–3Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)35–21–11–283Recap
70WMarch 11, 20046–4Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)36–21–11–285Recap
71LMarch 13, 20041–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)36–22–11–285Recap
72WMarch 15, 20043–1@ New York Rangers (2003–04)37–22–11–287Recap
73WMarch 17, 20046–1Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)38–22–11–289Recap
74TMarch 19, 20041–1 OTMontreal Canadiens (2003–04)38–22–12–290Recap
75LMarch 20, 20042–3@ Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)38–23–12–290Recap
76WMarch 23, 20044–3 OT@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)39–23–12–292Recap
77LMarch 25, 20041–2@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)39–24–12–292Recap
78WMarch 26, 20045–0@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)40–24–12–294Recap
79WMarch 28, 20043–2New York Islanders (2003–04)41–24–12–296Recap
80WMarch 30, 20045–0New York Rangers (2003–04)42–24–12–298Recap :
April: 1–1–0–0 (home: 0–1–0–0; road: 1–0–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordPointsRecap
81WApril 3, 20045–2@ Boston Bruins (2003–04)43–24–12–2100Recap
82LApril 4, 20041–3Boston Bruins (2003–04)43–25–12–2100Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2004 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers – Flyers win 4–1
GameResultDateScoreOpponentAttendanceSeriesRecap
1LApril 8, 20042–3@ Philadelphia Flyers19,608Flyers lead 1–0Recap
2LApril 10, 20042–3@ Philadelphia Flyers19,779Flyers lead 2–0Recap
3WApril 12, 20044–2Philadelphia Flyers18,023Flyers lead 2–1Recap
4LApril 14, 20040–3Philadelphia Flyers19,040Flyers lead 3–1Recap
5LApril 17, 20041–3@ Philadelphia Flyers19,778Flyers win 4–1Recap :
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 | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 26 | Patrik Elias | LW | 82 | 38 | 43 | 81 | 26 | 44 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 2 |
| 23 | Scott Gomez | C | 80 | 14 | 56 | 70 | 18 | 70 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | −2 | 0 |
| 27 | Scott Niedermayer | D | 81 | 14 | 40 | 54 | 20 | 44 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −5 | 6 |
| 12 | Jeff Friesen | LW | 81 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 8 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 4 |
| 28 | Brian Rafalski | D | 69 | 6 | 30 | 36 | 6 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | John Madden | C | 80 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 7 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Sergei Brylin | LW | 82 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 10 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Brian Gionta | RW | 75 | 21 | 8 | 29 | 19 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 0 |
| 24 | Turner Stevenson | RW | 61 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 0 | 76 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| 20 | Jay Pandolfo | LW | 82 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 5 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Jamie Langenbrunner | RW | 53 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 9 | 43 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Paul Martin | D | 70 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −4 | 4 |
| 29 | Grant Marshall | RW | 65 | 8 | 7 | 15 | −9 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Erik Rasmussen | LW | 69 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 41 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Colin White | D | 75 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 96 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 4 |
| 4 | Scott Stevens | D | 38 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Mike Rupp‡ | C | 51 | 6 | 5 | 11 | −1 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Igor Larionov | C | 49 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 16 | Jan Hrdina† | C | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | Viktor Kozlov† | C | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 17 | Christian Berglund‡ | LW | 23 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Tommy Albelin | D | 45 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | David Hale | D | 65 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 72 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Sean Brown | D | 39 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 44 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 19 | Raymond Giroux | D | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | Rob Skrlac | LW | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Jiri Bicek | RW | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 35 | Corey Schwab | G | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | Martin Brodeur | G | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 40 | Scott Clemmensen | G | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Craig Darby | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | Tuomas Pihlman | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | Alexander Suglobov | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 30 | Martin Brodeur | 75 | 38 | 26 | 11 | 1845 | 154 | 2.03 | .917 | 11 | 4555 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 133 | 13 | 2.62 | .902 | 0 | 298 |
| 40 | Scott Clemmensen | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 84 | 4 | 1.01 | .952 | 2 | 238 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Corey Schwab | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 2 | 0.64 | .971 | 1 | 187 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Awards and records
### Awards

Martin Brodeur was also a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy and John Madden was a runner-up for the Frank J. Selke Trophy.
| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | James Norris Memorial Trophy | Scott Niedermayer |
| League (annual) | Lester Patrick Trophy | Mike Emrick |
| League (annual) | NHL First All-Star Team | Martin Brodeur (Goaltender) |
| League (annual) | NHL First All-Star Team | Scott Niedermayer (Defense) |
| League (annual) | Vezina Trophy | Martin Brodeur |
| League (annual) | William M. Jennings Trophy | Martin Brodeur |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Martin Brodeur |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Scott Niedermayer |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Brian Rafalski |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Scott Stevens |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Month | Martin Brodeur (November) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Week | Martin Brodeur (December 15) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Month | Scott Gomez (March) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Patrik Elias (March 29) |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Paul Martin |
| Team | Devils' Players' Player | Turner Stevenson |
| Team | Hugh Delano Unsung Hero | Brian Gionta |
| Team | Most Valuable Devil | Scott Niedermayer |
| Team | Three-Star Award | Patrik Elias |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | David Hale | October 8, 2003 |
| First game | Paul Martin | October 8, 2003 |
| First game | Rob Skrlac | December 13, 2003 |
| First game | Tuomas Pihlman | January 1, 2004 |
| First game | Alexander Suglobov | January 5, 2004 |
| 500th coaching win | Pat Burns | March 30, 2004 |

## Transactions

The Devils were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To Edmonton Oilers 1st-round pick in 20032nd-round pick in 2003 | To New Jersey Devils 1st-round pick in 2003 |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To St. Louis Blues Mike Danton3rd-round pick in 2003 | To New Jersey Devils 3rd-round pick in 2003 |
| March 1, 2003 (2003-03-01) | To Florida Panthers Christian BerglundVictor Uchevatov | To New Jersey Devils Viktor Kozlov |
| March 5, 2003 (2003-03-05) | To Phoenix Coyotes Mike Rupp2nd-round pick in 2004 | To New Jersey Devils Jan Hrdina |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Via |
| July 24, 2003 (2003-07-24) | Sean Brown | Boston Bruins | Free agency |
| July 25, 2003 (2003-07-25) | Erik Rasmussen | Los Angeles Kings | Free agency |
| July 30, 2003 (2003-07-30) | Ryan Murphy | Carolina Hurricanes | Free agency |
| September 9, 2003 (2003-09-09) | Greg Crozier | Minnesota Wild | Free agency |
| September 10, 2003 (2003-09-10) | Igor Larionov | Detroit Red Wings | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| July 11, 2003 (2003-07-11) | Max Birbraer | Florida Panthers | Free agency |
| July 11, 2003 (2003-07-11) | Ken Daneyko | | Retirement (III) |
| July 22, 2003 (2003-07-22) | Jim McKenzie | Nashville Predators | Free agency (III) |
| August 23, 2003 (2003-08-23) | Oleg Tverdovsky | Avangard Omsk (RSL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| September 9, 2003 (2003-09-09) | Joe Nieuwendyk | Toronto Maple Leafs | Free agency (III) |
| September 17, 2003 (2003-09-17) | Richard Smehlik | | Retirement (III) |
| N/A | Daryl Andrews | San Antonio Rampage (AHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03) | Dave Roche | Toronto Roadrunners (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 5, 2003 (2003-10-05) | Jason Lehoux | Manitoba Moose (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 22, 2003 (2003-10-22) | Pascal Rheaume | New York Rangers | Free agency (V) |
| April 19, 2004 (2004-04-19) | Igor Larionov | | Retirement |
| April 22, 2004 (2004-04-22) | Steve Guolla | Kloten Flyers (NLA) | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Matt DeMarchi | | Entry-level |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Ahren Nittel | | Entry-level |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Tuomas Pihlman | | Entry-level |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Ilkka Pikkarainen | | Entry-level |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Aleksander Suglobov | | Entry-level |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Colin White | multi-year | Re-signing |
| August 8, 2003 (2003-08-08) | Paul Martin | | Entry-level |
| August 9, 2003 (2003-08-09) | Jeff Friesen | 1-year | Re-signing |
| October 15, 2003 (2003-10-15) | Tommy Albelin | | Re-signing |
| March 24, 2004 (2004-03-24) | Aaron Voros | | Entry-level |
| March 29, 2004 (2004-03-29) | Zach Parise | | Entry-level |
| May 21, 2004 (2004-05-21) | Petr Vrana | | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

The Devils' draft picks at the 2003 NHL entry draft at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
| Rd # | Pick # | Player | Nat | Pos | Team (League) |
| 1 | 17 | Zach Parise | United States | C | University of North Dakota (WCHA) |
| 2 | 42 | Petr Vrana | Czech Republic | C | Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 93 | Ivan Khomutov | Russia | C | Elektrostal Elemash (Vysshaya Liga) |
| 4 | 136 | No fourth-round pick | No fourth-round pick | No fourth-round pick | No fourth-round pick |
| 5 | 167 | Zach Tarkir | United States | D | Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) |
| 6 | 197 | Jason Smith | Canada | G | Lennoxville Cougars (LHJAAAQ) |
| 7 | 229 | No seventh-round pick | No seventh-round pick | No seventh-round pick | No seventh-round pick |
| 8 | 261 | Joey Tenute | Canada | C | Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
| 9 | 292 | Arseny Bondarev | Russia | LW | Yaroslavl Jrs. (Russia) |

## Media

Television coverage was still on Fox Sports Net New York with commentators Mike Emrick and Chico Resch as usual with Matt Loughlin hosting in the studio. Radio coverage remained on WABC 770 with John Hennessy calling the play-by-play with Randy Velischek providing color commentary.