Hamilton's Return Key to Revitalizing Devils' Offense

Dougie Hamilton appears to be nearing a return, and that should provide the Devils a boost in the playoffs

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The bad news? The New Jersey Devils blew a 2-0 lead en route to a 4-2 loss vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. The good news? Head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game that he expects Dougie Hamilton to be available soon.

Keefe said they need to ramp Hamilton up, but it looks like he'll be good to go. Seamus Casey has played well in the last two games, but trust me, you don't want him or Šimon Nemec playing against the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1. The Devils will be the underdog regardless, but getting Hamilton back gives them some hope.

Hamilton Should Improve the Devils at 5-on-5

The Devils have not been a good five-on-five team since Christmas, but they've been even worse since Hamilton got hurt against the Dallas Stars on March 4. New Jersey's expected goals share (xG%) of 45.93 percent ranks 26th in the NHL since March 5.

More importantly, they're generating next to no offense at five-on-five, as they've been averaging just 2.12 expected goals per 60 minutes. The only teams averaging fewer expected goals per 60 across that stretch are the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. Yikes.

The good news is that Hamilton should help kickstart the Devils' five-on-five offense. Though the Devils give some back defensively with Hamilton on the ice, they still averaged 2.87 expected goals per 60 in his five-on-five minutes this season. That ties Jesper Bratt for fourth-best on the team.

While I have liked Casey's performance over the last two games, it'd be unreasonable to expect him to generate even half of what Hamilton does offensively, especially against the Hurricanes.

The Devils have averaged just 1.86 xGs per 60 in Casey's five-on-five minutes this season and 1.94 in Nemec's. Hamilton will be a significant upgrade, and I don't think it's particularly close.

It's also worth noting that despite Hamilton's defensive shortcomings, you will want him defending the Hurricanes' relentless forecheck over Casey or Nemec.

Hamilton may not be the best on defensive zone retrievals, but he'll be an upgrade over Nemec or Casey. Hamilton is 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, and has the strength to handle the Hurricanes' forecheck, unlike Casey and Nemec.