Devils' Hatakka Will Be Next Man Up in 2024-25
Santeri Hatakka may not be a regular in the New Jersey Devils' lineup, but expect him to get into games in 2024-25.
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The New Jersey Devils defense is set for the upcoming season after the signings of Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon, plus the acquisition of Johnathan Kovacevic. Having a healthy Dougie Hamilton from the get-go should be a big help, too.
But as we learned the hard way last season, injuries arise, meaning the Devils will have to rely on their depth to withstand missing players in the lineup at some point during the season. One player who will play a key role in that is Santeri Hatakka, who the Devils re-signed to a one-way, two-way contract yesterday.
Based on his limited NHL sample last season, he should have no trouble stepping into the lineup if needed. And it looks like he’d be the next man up if someone on the left side of the blue line gets injured.
Hatakka Showed NHL Potential Last Season
There was a time last season when the Timo Meier trade looked like the Santeri Hatakka trade. Jokes aside, Hatakka played quite well in 2023-24. Though it came in a limited 12-game sample, he posted a 53.04 expected goals percentage (xG%) at five-on-five.
A few of Hatakka's other underlying metrics were solid, too, as his play was worth a total goals above replacement (GAR) of 3. And though he didn't play enough games to show up in Corey Sznajder's microstat data, we saw some of Hatakka's puck-moving ability in his short NHL stint.
Generally speaking, Hatakka's offensive impacts were better than his defensive ones last season. That's not a surprise since the Devils averaged 3.05 expected goals per 60 minutes when he was on the ice. But even then, he was an average defender in the NHL:
It's hard to say how much stock the Devils should put into Hatakka based on 12 NHL games, but it does look like there's a potential NHL player in the making. His numbers in the AHL with the Utica Comets may indicate that, too.
Hatakka finished with 20 points in 48 games for the Comets — a 30-point pace in a 72-game AHL schedule. There aren't many advanced stats for the AHL, but Hatakka's were at least OK with the Comets. He averaged a Game Score of 0.30 per game, ranked 21st of 38 players to dress for the Comets last season.
At the very least, Hatakka does look like someone who can step into the lineup and hold down the fort as he did a season ago. And remember, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has been pretty high on Hatakka since they acquired him from the San Jose Sharks in the Meier trade.
Fitzgerald once texted his brother Scott, who works for the Sharks, and had this to say about Hatakka:
"Why did you give us this guy?” Fitzgerald explained to James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now about his conversation with his brother Scott. “He looks good!”
The left side of the Devils' blue line doesn't have an opening after signing Dillon, but Hatakka will likely figure into their plans. He showed some offensive upside this past season, doesn't seem to be a liability defensively, and skates pretty well. And it doesn't necessarily have to be injury-related for him to play.
Let's say Jonas Siegenthaler struggles out of the gate after having a tough 2023-24 season. That's obviously less than ideal, but Hatakka can probably step up and fill in on the third pair while Luke Hughes and Dillon hold down the left side on the top two pairs.
It also wouldn't shock me if Hatakka makes the team out of camp in September. He is waivers-eligible, and it wouldn't surprise me if some team tried to scoop him up on waivers when teams are making final cuts ahead of the start of the regular season. So the Devils could keep him on their NHL roster to avoid losing him since it looks like he could be a contributor, which would entice other NHL teams.
But regardless of whether he's on the team to start the regular season, I expect Hatakka to get into games (assuming he passes through waivers). He showed in 2023-24 that he can contribute in the NHL and play meaningful minutes, unlike some call-ups who may play a few shifts and then ride the bench the rest of the night.
He may have just been a throw-in in the Meier trade, but it looks like Hatakka has a place in the organization moving forward, even if it's as an NHL/AHL tweener for the time being. That speaks well of the Devils' scouting staff identifying him as someone who could help the team, and it sure looks like he'll be able to help.
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