The New Jersey Devils’ blue line is one of the biggest variables on the roster heading into the season. The top six can look solid on paper, but there are still real questions about who plays with whom, how the power-play units shake out, and which young defenseman might force his way into the picture as the year unfolds.
At the center of it all is Luke Hughes. The Devils need him to become the clear No. 1 defenseman, and that’s where the entire setup starts.
Last season didn’t quite match the expectations attached to his $9 million average annual value contract, as he finished with 35 points in 68 games and 3.9 defensive point shares. Even so, with Simon Nemec gone, Hughes is the blueliner the Devils will lean on in every situation.
One projected setup has Brett Pesce beside Hughes, with the hope that Pesce returns to full health and gives Hughes the kind of steady support that lets him push forward more aggressively. In that version, Jonas Seigenthaler would skate with Dougie Hamilton, while Brenden Dillon and Johnathan Kovacevic would form the third pair.
Luke Hughes - Brett Pesce
Jonas Seigenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon - Johnathan Kovacevic
That alignment keeps things balanced after the top pair. Seigenthaler has already shown he can be a dependable stay-at-home option, and he fits well next to a healthy Hamilton. Dillon and Kovacevic also bring stability in their own end, which gives the Devils a sturdy third pair.
There’s another version, though, that flips Hamilton and Kovacevic. In that projection, Pesce again joins Hughes, but Seigenthaler is paired with Kovacevic and Dillon is matched with Hamilton.
Luke Hughes - Brett Pesce
Jonas Seigenthaler - Johnathan Kovacevic
Brenden Dillon - Dougie Hamilton
That arrangement raises a bigger question about Hamilton’s role. The Devils could choose to spread the minutes more evenly across the second and third pairs, rather than treating Hamilton like a fixed top-four piece. If that’s the path they take, it would give the defense a little more depth and flexibility.
Hamilton’s usage is one of the wild cards here, especially when it comes to the second power-play unit. If he isn’t quarterbacking that group, then who does? At 33, he’s also at a point where his future role is worth watching closely after not living up to the contract he signed in the 2021 offseason.
Beyond the established names, the Devils also have to figure out how much room there is for new blood. Declan Chisholm is not a prospect, but he can step in on the third pair if injuries hit.
Anton Silyev is the high-upside newcomer joining the team this season, and the Devils want him to make an immediate impression. Ethan Edwards, Topias Vilen, and Seamus Casey are all in the American Hockey League and trying to work their way into regular NHL roles.
The likeliest starting point for those younger defensemen is limited minutes on the third pair. Still, by the end of the season, one of them could crack the top four. If that happens, the Devils would then have to bump someone down the depth chart or consider moving a defenseman entirely.
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From the Devils point of view, the appeal is obvious. Hellebuyck would give them a major answer in goal, while Hughes would reshape the blue line in a different way, bringing a defense-first impact that could alter how the whole roster is built around him. The challenge, as always with players of that caliber, is fitting the idea into the cap, the depth chart and the long-term plan, which is why this remains more of a franchise-shaping question than a simple transaction watch. [Read more 🡒]
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Connor Brown staying on the top line is still part of the conversation, which only adds to the sense that New Jersey can go in a few directions without sacrificing depth. Evan Rodrigues, Dawson Mercer and Arseny Gritsyuk all factor into the broader mix as the Devils sort out their top six and the next layer down, and that flexibility is useful only if the combinations actually click. For now, the challenge is less about finding talent than finding the right balance around two centers who drive the whole attack. [Read more 🡒]