Dougie Hamilton is forcing the New Jersey Devils to keep looking his way.
That was not always the easy assumption. Last season came with plenty of trade chatter around the veteran defenseman, and Luke Hughes seemed to be the clear name waiting to take over as the club’s power-play quarterback.
Hamilton could have coasted through it all or pushed for a change of scenery. Instead, he stayed in camp, did the work, and now, early in the season, he looks a lot like the offensive defenseman New Jersey signed up for.
The numbers are starting to match the eye test. Hamilton and Hughes are tied for the team lead among defensemen with four points apiece, and Hughes has made his own statement with three goals already. That gives the Devils a reason to believe Hughes really is the defenseman of the future, even if the “answer” at the position does not have to be one player carrying everything alone.
That part matters, because Hamilton’s presence may be helping Hughes breathe a little easier. Over the last three games, the workload has shifted enough to show that.
The Devils have spent more time on the power play, and both defensemen have seen their man-advantage minutes rise. But Hamilton has also become the more dangerous five-on-five option, and Sheldon Keefe has responded by leaning on him there more heavily.
Hamilton has picked up two extra minutes per game over the last two games, while Hughes’ five-on-five minutes have dropped by three in those same contests.
The underlying data backs up the change. New Jersey’s front office is built around Sunny Mehta’s analytics-driven approach, and that makes Hamilton’s usage easier to understand.
According to Natural Stat Trick, Hamilton sits second in the NHL in 5-on-5 xGF with 9.38, just behind Kevin Bahl, his former teammate. He also ranks ahead of both Theodore and Hughes in xGF/60, with Hamilton second in that category and close behind Damon Severson.
For now, the veteran is playing like someone who is back in stride. As long as that keeps going, Keefe should have plenty of reason to keep sending him over the boards.
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