# 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. 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.

## 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). 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. 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.
The Devils struggled early in the 2005–06 season, ending the 2005 calendar year with a 16–18–5 record. Robinson resigned as head coach on December 19, and Lamoriello moved down to the bench. 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. The win streak to close the year was also an NHL record.
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.

### 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 |
Eastern Conference :
| 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)
GameDateScoreOpponentRecord
1September 25, 20053–2 SONew York Islanders1–0–0
2September 27, 20053–1New York Rangers2–0–0
3September 29, 20052–3@ Philadelphia Flyers2–1–0
4September 30, 20055–3Philadelphia Flyers3–1–0
5October 2, 20052–3@ New York Rangers3–2–0 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Regular season

2005–06 regular season :
October: 6–5–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 2–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1WOctober 5, 20055–1Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)1–0–0Recap
2LOctober 7, 20052–5@ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)1–1–0Recap
3WOctober 8, 20053–2 OTNew York Rangers (2005–06)2–1–0Recap
4LOctober 13, 20051–4@ New York Rangers (2005–06)2–2–0Recap
5LOctober 15, 20051–6Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06)2–3–0Recap
6WOctober 18, 20054–3Florida Panthers (2005–06)3–3–0Recap
7WOctober 20, 20056–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)4–3–0Recap
8LOctober 22, 20053–4@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)4–4–0Recap
9LOctober 26, 20053–6Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)4–5–0Recap
10WOctober 28, 20053–2Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)5–5–0Recap
11WOctober 29, 20055–4 SO@ Boston Bruins (2005–06)6–5–0Recap :
November: 6–5–2 (home: 3–2–1; road: 3–3–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
12LNovember 1, 20053–4 OTPittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)6–5–1Recap
13LNovember 3, 20052–4New York Rangers (2005–06)6–6–1Recap
14LNovember 5, 20052–3 SO@ New York Rangers (2005–06)6–6–2Recap
15LNovember 8, 20051–4New York Islanders (2005–06)6–7–2Recap
16WNovember 11, 20054–3@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)7–7–2Recap
17WNovember 12, 20053–2Washington Capitals (2005–06)8–7–2Recap
18LNovember 15, 20051–4@ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)8–8–2Recap
19WNovember 18, 20055–3Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)9–8–2Recap
20LNovember 19, 20054–5@ Ottawa Senators (2005–06)9–9–2Recap
21WNovember 23, 20055–1@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)10–9–2Recap
22WNovember 25, 20058–2@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)11–9–2Recap
23WNovember 29, 20053–2Boston Bruins (2005–06)12–9–2Recap
24LNovember 30, 20051–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)12–10–2Recap :
December: 4–8–3 (home: 3–3–2; road: 1–5–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
25WDecember 3, 20053–2 SOMinnesota Wild (2005–06)13–10–2Recap
26LDecember 6, 20052–5@ Detroit Red Wings (2005–06)13–11–2Recap
27LDecember 7, 20051–4Calgary Flames (2005–06)13–12–2Recap
28LDecember 9, 20053–4 SOColorado Avalanche (2005–06)13–12–3Recap
29LDecember 11, 20052–3 OT@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06)13–12–4Recap
30WDecember 13, 20052–1 SOEdmonton Oilers (2005–06)14–12–4Recap
31LDecember 15, 20052–3 OTAtlanta Thrashers (2005–06)14–12–5Recap
32LDecember 17, 20051–4@ Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06)14–13–5Recap
33WDecember 20, 20053–1@ New York Rangers (2005–06)15–13–5Recap
34LDecember 21, 20052–4@ New York Islanders (2005–06)15–14–5Recap
35LDecember 23, 20050–1Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)15–15–5Recap
36LDecember 26, 20051–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)15–16–5Recap
37WDecember 28, 20057–2Washington Capitals (2005–06)16–16–5Recap
38LDecember 29, 20052–6@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)16–17–5Recap
39LDecember 31, 20053–6Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)16–18–5Recap :
January: 10–2–1 (home: 5–0–0; road: 5–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
40WJanuary 3, 20063–0Florida Panthers (2005–06)17–18–5Recap
41WJanuary 5, 20065–4Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)18–18–5Recap
42WJanuary 7, 20063–2@ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)19–18–5Recap
43WJanuary 9, 20063–0Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)20–18–5Recap
44WJanuary 13, 20063–0Vancouver Canucks (2005–06)21–18–5Recap
45WJanuary 15, 20063–2 SO@ Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06)22–18–5Recap
46WJanuary 17, 20065–3@ St. Louis Blues (2005–06)23–18–5Recap
47WJanuary 19, 20064–3 SO@ Nashville Predators (2005–06)24–18–5Recap
48WJanuary 21, 20063–2 SONew York Islanders (2005–06)25–18–5Recap
49LJanuary 22, 20061–3@ New York Rangers (2005–06)25–19–5Recap
50WJanuary 24, 20064–0@ New York Islanders (2005–06)26–19–5Recap
51LJanuary 26, 20060–1 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)26–19–6Recap
52LJanuary 27, 20060–4@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)26–20–6Recap :
February: 4–2–0 (home: 3–1–0; road: 1–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
53WFebruary 1, 20065–3Ottawa Senators (2005–06)27–20–6Recap
54WFebruary 3, 20063–0Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06)28–20–6Recap
55LFebruary 4, 20062–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)28–21–6Recap
56WFebruary 7, 20067–4Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)29–21–6Recap
57WFebruary 9, 20063–2 OT@ Boston Bruins (2005–06)30–21–6Recap
58LFebruary 11, 20061–2New York Islanders (2005–06)30–22–6Recap :
March: 7–5–3 (home: 5–3–0; road: 2–2–3)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
59WMarch 1, 20062–1 SOPhiladelphia Flyers (2005–06)31–22–6Recap
60LMarch 2, 20062–3 SO@ New York Islanders (2005–06)31–22–7Recap
61WMarch 4, 20062–1New York Rangers (2005–06)32–22–7Recap
62LMarch 7, 20061–2 SO@ New York Islanders (2005–06)32–22–8Recap
63WMarch 10, 20064–3 SO@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)33–22–8Recap
64LMarch 11, 20063–6@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)33–23–8Recap
65LMarch 14, 20061–6New York Islanders (2005–06)33–24–8Recap
66WMarch 16, 20062–1Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)34–24–8Recap
67LMarch 19, 20060–4Ottawa Senators (2005–06)34–25–8Recap
68LMarch 21, 20061–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)34–26–8Recap
69LMarch 23, 20065–6 OT@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)34–26–9Recap
70WMarch 24, 20064–2Boston Bruins (2005–06)35–26–9Recap
71LMarch 26, 20063–4Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)35–27–9Recap
72WMarch 28, 20063–2 SO@ Ottawa Senators (2005–06)36–27–9Recap
73WMarch 30, 20063–1Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)37–27–9Recap :
April: 9–0–0 (home: 4–0–0; road: 5–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
74WApril 1, 20064–1@ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)38–27–9Recap
75WApril 2, 20063–2 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)39–27–9Recap
76WApril 5, 20066–4Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)40–27–9Recap
77WApril 8, 20063–2@ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)41–27–9Recap
78WApril 9, 20063–2New York Rangers (2005–06)42–27–9Recap
79WApril 11, 20064–3 OT@ Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06)43–27–9Recap
80WApril 13, 20064–1Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)44–27–9Recap
81WApril 16, 20065–1Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)45–27–9Recap
82WApril 18, 20064–3@ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)46–27–9Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2006 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (6) New York Rangers – Devils win 4–0
GameResultDateScoreOpponentAttendanceSeriesRecap
1WApril 22, 20066–1New York Rangers19,040Devils lead 1–0Recap
2WApril 24, 20064–1New York Rangers19,040Devils lead 2–0Recap
3WApril 26, 20063–0@ New York Rangers18,200Devils lead 3–0Recap
4WApril 29, 20064–2@ New York Rangers18,200Devils win 4–0Recap :
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (2) Carolina Hurricanes – Hurricanes win 4–1
GameResultDateScoreOpponentAttendanceSeriesRecap
1LMay 6, 20060–6@ Carolina Hurricanes18,730Hurricanes lead 1–0Recap
2LMay 8, 20062–3 OT@ Carolina Hurricanes18,730Hurricanes lead 2–0Recap
3LMay 10, 20062–3Carolina Hurricanes16,862Hurricanes lead 3–0Recap
4WMay 13, 20065–1Carolina Hurricanes17,585Hurricanes lead 3–1Recap
5LMay 14, 20061–4@ Carolina Hurricanes18,730Hurricanes 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 |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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.
| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | NHL Second All-Star Team | Martin Brodeur (Goaltender) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Month | Martin Brodeur (January) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Week | Martin Brodeur (January 18) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Scott Gomez (April 9) |
| Team | Devils' Players' Player | Jay Pandolfo |
| Team | Hugh Delano Unsung Hero | Jay Pandolfo |
| Team | Most Valuable Devil | Brian Gionta |
| Team | Three-Star Award | Brian Gionta |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Zach Parise | October 5, 2005 |
| First game | Cam Janssen | November 5, 2005 |
| First game | Barry Tallackson | November 12, 2005 |
| First game | 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.

### Trades

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

### Players acquired

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

### Players lost

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

### Signings

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

## Draft picks

New Jersey's picks at the 2005 NHL entry draft at The Westin Ottawa in Ottawa, Ottawa.
| Rd # | Pick # | Player | Nat | Pos | Team (League) |
| 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.