Dougie Hamilton has not looked like his usual self since returning to the lineup after breaking his jaw due to a puck in the face. Even though he came to the New Jersey Devils as one of the best power play defenders in the league, he was relegated to the second unit on what is just a terrible power play overall. Only five teams in the league have the worst PP% as the Devils 17.7%.
The Devils’ power play was good there for a few weeks, but it seems like it was just a blow. It coincided with Hamilton’s injury. However, it was not like the second power-play unit that led the charge. In January, Jack Hughes had five power-play points. He never had more than two in another month this season. His two points in February came in the same match.
Clearly, the power game issues are more philosophy than it is the games on the unit. The team is very good at scoring when it’s on an equal footing. The Devils scored 131 goals at 5v5 after the Natural Stat trick. That’s good for the 14th in the league. A lack of finishing early in the season leads to 134 expected goals for the Devils, who finish eighth in the league.
Insult has grown tremendously in 2021-22. There are many factors, including the rise of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt. However, the addition of offense by defenders also helps. Hamilton is a big contributor there. Hamilton and Ryan Graves, Hamilton’s regular partners, are second and fourth on the Devils’ rush attempts. They often jump on the offensive because the speed comes from the back half of the team.
However, despite the insults Hamilton brings to the team with equal strength, the fights the Devils have are seeming to fall on the Devils’ lap of $ 9 million defenders. To be fair, when a player makes that much money, expectations are high. Then, when the team falls apart, it’s a lot of debt to go around.
If a game like the one that happened on Saturday afternoon to end the game, then it will come with criticism.
Connor McDavid, the best player in the world, was right there and Hamilton still tried the pass. It was a bad move on what turned out to be a bad day for Hamilton. It happens. Hamilton, however, needs a bit of consistency.
Hamilton is still doing a lot right. He has blocked more shots than anyone on the team since returning to the lineup. He also made seven rebounds from his shots, by far the most since his return on February 24th.
There have been talks of regrets for Hamilton’s contract already, but that’s incredible. Hamilton has been really good for most of the year, and while he is now struggling with sales, he still does a lot to help the team. The goalkeeping situation makes winning impossible, but in a more normal situation Hamilton could help this team win. The Devils have a strengthened right-handed defender who will be in New Jersey for the long term. That’s Hamilton. PK Subban and Damon Severson both have questions about their future with the organization, but the Devils are still in good hands with Hamilton.
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