The New Jersey Devils are 8-5-2 in the first month of the 2024-25 NHL season. They clocked in at #10 on NHL.com’s most recent Super 16, but there's more room for the team to grow. It was always going to be a tough October for them, with learning a new system under a new coach, Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton shaking off rust after surgery, and the team missing a key defensive pair for several weeks.
Now the calendar has flipped to November, and the Devils are heating up, winning three of their last four games. Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Stefan Noesen are among the big contributors so far this season. Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen have stepped up in recent games. In order to go on a heater, the Devils need more out of some of their players who have underperformed. Here are three players that have been underwhelming this season and have more to give.
3. Dougie Hamilton
Dougie Hamilton has been underwhelming early on this season. It isn’t terribly surprising for him to have a slow start after missing most of last season due to pectoral surgery. As the season goes on, hopefully, he will look more like himself.
Hamilton’s never been known as a shutdown defenseman and has always been a strong offensive defenseman. But this year, his defensive play has been more troubling. With 23 giveaways, Hamilton has the most giveaways of anyone on the team this season. It’s taking some time for him to find a rhythm with Brendan Dillon as a new pairing. Perhaps breaking this pair up would be the right move.
This season, Hamilton has the lowest shooting percentage of his career at 2.1%. He has just one goal in 15 games played, and 0 goals at even strength. Hamilton is typically an asset on the power play. This year, he has contributed five power play points but just hasn’t quite been the threat he once was.
After a slow start of 0 points in his first six games, Hamilton has started to pick it up with eight points in his next nine games. The Devils need more of this from him, and they also need him to take care of business in his own end.