New Jersey Devils: Dougie Hamilton Addition Would Be Perfect
There have been plenty of rumors this offseason that have connected the New Jersey Devils to Dougie Hamilton. The latest comes from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his most recent blog. In this, he predicted that Dougie Hamilton will in fact land with the New Jersey Devils. That would be huge for them as they try to take the next step during the 2021-22 season. If this came true, they would be adding someone that they can rely on as their new number one defenseman.
Of course, there are some other solid defensemen that will be around for a long time. Ty Smith took big steps in 2021 and they just drafted Luke Hughes. Damon Severson takes a lot of heat but his offensive skills don’t grow on trees either. This would make a really nice top-four on a good team with someone like P.K. Subban there as well.
It is as perfect of acquisition as the New Jersey Devils can realistically make right now. They have a very young core that might need some veteran help to take them to the next step. Hamilton has been in the league for a while now and could provide that.
He would also provide big production from the back end. In 2020-21, he had 10 goals and 32 assists for 42 points in 55 games. New Jersey hasn’t had that level of offensive production from a defenseman in a long time. You also never know how much he could impact their power play and the other young defenseman that could use some mentorship.
The New Jersey Devils might be very busy during NHL free-agency season this week.
In this same blog, Friedman predicts that one of the New Jersey Devils or New York Islanders will land Vladimir Tarasenko in a trade. If that were to happen in addition to a Dougie Hamilton acquisition, this team would be wildly improved.
Nobody can be certain what will happen but there is definitely fire to this smoke. Friedman is as connected to the NHL as any other insider in sports is connected to their league. His prediction does carry more weight than a lot of other people.
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To be clear, Hamilton’s arrival wouldn’t turn the New Jersey Devils around right away. They still need to see Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Ty Smith take huge steps. They need players like Alexander Holtz and Luke Hughes to continue developing. They also need Mackenzie Blackwood to be that elite goalie that we know he can be. If all of those things happen over the next few years, this team could be very good.