Brett Pesce: 0 Points
Grade: B
Be honest, did any of you realize that Brett Pesce hasn’t recorded his first point with the Devils yet? It hasn’t come up because of how well he’s played on defense. Pesce, paired with Luke Hughes, have shut down opponents. That’s not something we’re used to seeing from Luke Hughes, so we have to give some credit to Pesce. The offseason free agent signing missed the first nine games recovering from offseason surgery, but he didn’t miss a beat when he joined the lineup. Now he’s hitting his stride, and the Devils defense is starting to look like one of the better units in the league.
Dougie Hamilton: 14 Points
Grade: B-
Dougie Hamilton is still putting up a ton of points. He’s been a major factor on the power play, which has been much better under new assistant coach Jeremy Colliton. He’s impacting the game in a lot of great ways. Unfortunately, there’s been a drop off in defense that is hard to ignore. Hamilton is caught flat-footed on multiple occasions, which has caused odd-man rushes the other way. He’s also out of position more often than we’d like. He’s been on the ice for 24 goals against at 5v5. That has to get better.
Brenden Dillon: 4 Points
Grade: C
It’s been a little overblown how bad Brenden Dillon has been this season, but he’s definitely earned this grade. The Dillon-Hamilton pairing hasn’t worked, but they are stuck together because of how well the other two pairings have been playing. Dillon is second on the team with 21 5v5 goals against, according to Natural Stat Trick. He does bring an incredible element when it comes to clean hits. Dillon has been able to send a message without hurting opponents. That’s not nothing. The Devils have a different mindset on the ice, and Dillon’s physical presence helps.