The New Jersey Devils should stick with their current defense core

David Mudrak explains why in his latest.

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey with our writers and subscribers.

---

By David Mudrak (@MuddyOpinions)

After watching Noah Hanifin, a defenseman who was linked to the New Jersey Devils before the trade deadline this year, save Vegas’ season, I wanted to investigate why it would benefit this team to continue to avoid a splashy defensive addition. 

Hamilton’s return

One of the biggest changes to the Devils this upcoming season will be the return of a healthy Dougie Hamilton. The true top-pair defenseman had a tremendous impact on the team, which was not fully felt until he was missing from the lineup.

While I am one of the first to complain about (at times) Hamilton’s inability to play a strong defensive game in his own zone, he also negates a lot of my complaints by being an excellent puck mover and able to amplify the time the team spends in the offensive zone.

When healthy, Hamilton plays over twenty minutes a night. During those minutes, he helps the team keep pressure on the opponent and get offensive chances. Hamilton showed last season that he can ratchet up the offensive pressure and expected goals even when playing against elite competition.

Having him back in the fold and turning the tide in the Devils’ favor will clearly have a positive impact, but where it may matter even more is down the lineup. 

Before Hamilton’s injury, every defenseman who played for the team had a positive CF%—yes, even Brendan Smith.

More importantly, for next year, John Marino and Jonas Sigenthaler were putting up impressive numbers before Dougie Hamilton’s exit, which forced them to play above their ability or with players they were not used to or perhaps not comfortable with. 

Finally, Hamilton slotting back in will relieve some of the pressure that was placed on Luke Hughes and Šimon Nemec. That will allow them to ease into their sophomore seasons and likely feast on the lower-talent players they will encounter lower in the lineup.

High-end rookies