The New Jersey Devils have been decimated by injuries since the start of the New Year. Obviously, the biggest injury impact is the loss of Jack Hughes. He is out for the rest of this season after shoulder surgery, putting a lot of pressure on the Devils' offense. Usually, the Devils can get offense from their defensemen. They still have Luke Hughes, who scored a goal in the Devils' 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, but they are missing their other offensive dynamo on the blue line.
Dougie Hamilton was injured against the Dallas Stars last week when his ankle got tied up in the boards. The injury has only been described as a "lower-body injury," but it was clear it was more serious than your typical pain point.
Still, most were optimistic that Hamilton wasn't going to miss a ton of time, but it seems like those optimists were incorrect. Devils' general manager Tom Fitzgerald was a guest on the Kraken Canuckleheads podcast with reporter Rob Simpson to talk about the NHL Trade Deadline, and he revealed that Hamilton's regular season is over. (First reported by JP Gambatease of Devils Advocates.)
"Up top, you're never going to replace Jack Hughes. Then Dougie Hamilton goes down, and you lose him for the rest of the year, possibly playoffs. You're looking at committee. "Tom Fitzgerald via Kraken Canuckleheads
Dougie Hamilton's injury will keep him out for the rest of the regular season at the very least.
Fitzgerald also mentioned the Jonas Siegenthaler injury, which is why he pushed so far in on the Brian Dumoulin trade. Many questioned why the Devils paid so much for Dumoulin, who appeared to be depth at best once these players return, but with the news they won't be returning in the regular season, losing a second-round pick and Herman Traff makes a little more sense.
The Devils do need to find more offense now that they'll be without Hughes and Hamilton. The power play is especially going to look completely different. Luke Hughes will take one spot, and we expect Timo Meier to take another important role on PP1.
It's going to be a grind to get to the playoffs without three of their best players, but a decent goaltending tandem will help with the loss in defensive impact, and the hope is essential players step up with the loss of offensive output.