Devils' Hamilton Needs a New Defense Partner

Dougie Hamilton's first nine games have been a rollercoaster, and a change in who his defense partner is may help.

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It was a rough night for many New Jersey Devils skaters in a wild and chaotic 8-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jack Hughes was one of the few positives, as he totaled a goal and two assists, but the same can't be said for Dougie Hamilton.

Like Hughes, Hamilton is coming off a major injury. He went nearly ten full months without playing competitive hockey, so it's not a surprise he's struggled to start this season. Last night was perhaps his worst game of 2024-25, as he finished with a Game Score just above minus-5.

The Devils have been trying Brenden Dillon with Hamilton. And while it has worked some, head coach Sheldon Keefe should probably consider making a change, especially with Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce's returns imminent.

Time for Siegenthaler & Hamilton Again?

The rationale for pairing Dillon and Hamilton together makes sense. Dillon is a defensive defenseman and should allow Hamilton to do his thing offensively. Unfortunately, that's not how it has necessarily played out.

Dillon and Hamilton are creating offense, generating 3.72 expected goals per 60 minutes. But they're giving plenty of it back, allowing 3.14 expected goals per 60. Hamilton has never been the best defensively, so that could be part of why this pair is leaking chances.

However, I'm not sure Dillon is the right fit for Hamilton. As I mentioned a few times on this Substack this offseason, Dillon in a top-four role seemed less likely to work out than maybe the Devils were hoping it would.

Dillon showed signs of decline in his last couple of years with the Winnipeg Jets. That's not to say he's washed. I don't think that's the case, but he's probably best suited for a bottom-four role at this point of his career.

Part of this is not having a healthy Luke Hughes to mix and match defense pairs, so Dillon has to play higher up the lineup. However, with how Jonas Siegenthaler has started his 2024-25 season, Keefe should consider linking him back up with Hamilton.

Siegenthaler has been one of the Devils' best defensemen through nine games. You could maybe argue he's been the best, too. Even after last night's 8-5 debacle against the Lightning, the Devils are allowing just 2.15 expected goals per 60 with Siegenthaler on the ice.

Siegenthaler and Hamilton have an excellent track record, too. Before this season, the two had logged nearly 1,400 minutes together and posted an expected goals share (xG%) just above 55 percent.

When Siegenthaler is at his best, he's a pretty good complement for Hamilton. And right now, he looks like he's at his best and heading toward being more like 2021-22 and 2022-23 Siegenthaler.

It's probably an option Keefe should keep in his back pocket because it does look like Hamilton needs a new defense partner. But it's not Keefe's only option if Hughes is set to return for one of these three games in the next four days.

Hughes & Hamilton May Be the Way to Go

One option that may be even better than reuniting Siegenthaler and Hamilton is giving Hughes a run with Hamilton. I know that might scare you from a defensive perspective. But hear me out. How the Devils have constructed their blue line should allow this to work.

With Pesce returning, you could pair him up with Siegenthaler to form a shutdown unit. Perhaps Dillon would work with Pesce, too, but Siegenthaler seems the better option, given how effective he's been defensively.

To simplify things, let's say Siegenthaler ends up with Pesce. That leaves Dillon on the third pair with Johnathan Kovacevic, who's also excelled defensively. The Devils are allowing just 2.17 expected goals per 60 minutes when Kovacevic is on the ice, similar rates to Siegenthaler.

Those pairs are pretty sound defensively, so if you're concerned about what a Hughes and Hamilton pairing would look like in that regard, Siegenthaler/Pesce and Dillon/Kovacevic pairings should ease those concerns a bit.

That would allow Keefe to keep Hughes and Hamilton in a relatively sheltered offensive role that would play to both defenders' strengths. And right now, Hamilton probably needs that to gain confidence and find his game again.

Fortunately, this will probably sort itself out with Hughes and Pesce set to return to game action sooner rather than later. The Siegenthaler and Hamilton pairing is a good idea if that's a route Keefe wants to go, but there could be more upside with Hughes and Hamilton.

Right now, I don't think you want Hughes and Hamilton playing particularly difficult defensive minutes. Pairing them together should allow Keefe to keep them sheltered and away from tough assignments that the Siegenthaler and Pesce or Dillon and Kovacevic pairings would get.

Reasonable Arguments for Siegenthaler & Hughes

Regardless of who takes Dillon's spot on Hamilton's pair, it's a change Keefe needs to make, and there are reasonable arguments for both Siegenthaler and Hughes.

Siegenthaler gives Hamilton a good defensive complement, while pairing him with Hughes would allow Keefe to shelter that unit and give more difficult assignments to his other four defensemen.

We'll see if that's a shakeup Keefe decides to make with everyone returning to health, but it'd probably benefit the Devils if he does.

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