New Jersey Devils: 5 Things That Must Happen To Make Playoffs

2. Dougie Hamilton Needs To Lead The Defense

Dougie Hamilton has been on some stacked defensive units over his career. From Boston to Calgary to Carolina, he never had to be the star. In Carolina, they had Jaccob Slavin. In Calgary, Mark Giordano was the star, and in Boston, there was a lot of star power around him. Hamilton always had to be a really good complimentary piece.

All the stats show Hamilton should be able to excel in any role, including one where he’s the workhorse who plays on all special teams and equals a scoring threat and a shutdown one. He doesn’t know his partner yet, but it’s safe to say it will either be Ty Smith or Ryan Graves. Those are very different players, but both should be able to excel with Hamilton.

If Hamilton finally gives the Devils the number-one defenseman they’ve been looking for, then it takes a load off of Damon Severson and P.K. Subban. They can both play roles that make more sense for them. Hamilton, Subban, and Severson on the right side is one of the strongest right sides of the defense in the entire league.

The defense has been a weakness for the Devils for years. Even when they made the playoffs in 2017-18, they had Sami Vatanen leading the defense. He actually had a pretty good season, but he was always a complimentary piece. The same goes for Andy Greene. They were always playing outside their optimal role. Hamilton should be able to lead this defense on the ice.