Before playing in the NHL, Niedermayer played 2 seasons with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. He was drafted with the 3rd overall pick by the New Jersey Devils in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played 12 seasons with the New Jersey Devils and 5 seasons with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim/Anaheim Ducks. During his time in New Jersey, he reached the Stanley Cup Finals four times and won three Stanley Cups with the team. He was also able to win the James Norris Memorial Trophy in the 2003–04 NHL season after he finished second in league scoring among defencemen, recorded a plus-minus rating of +20 and lead the Devils to a modern NHL record low 164 goals against.