Ranking the New Jersey Devils defensemen from worst to first for the 2024-25 season
The New Jersey Devils will have eight players vying for a spot on the blue line this season, along with one forward/defenseman, bringing the total number of players up to nine. Unfortunately, it’s a number that will need to be trimmed down to seven (or eight, maybe?) when the 2024-25 season begins, or at least logistically speaking.
So, if we were to rank everyone on the Devils blue line right now, where does each returning player and newcomer stand roughly a couple of months outside of training camp? Judging from how each player performed last season, plus their overall impact on the team, here is a general idea of where they find themselves in the power rankings.
9 - Kurtis MacDermid
The one holdover from when I ranked the forwards, Kurtis MacDermid will most likely play more minutes on the blue line if he suits up often this season. But looking at his average total ice time from last year, I would honestly say he’s only seeing extended playing time if the Devils are facing an ultra-physical opponent and continue his role as an enforcer.
8 - Nick DeSimone
Nick DeSimone came over from the Calgary Flames last season and played in 11 games for the Devils, recording two points. He saw a solid 16:29 of average total ice time and made the most of those minutes with 21 blocks and 14 hits.
While it’s a small sample size, DeSimone also didn’t have half-bad possession metrics at even strength, finishing with a 10.3 on-ice shooting percentage, and a whopping 96.7 on-ice save percentage. Maybe he can build on that in the preseason with the Devils, but it’s something I wouldn’t count on with so much competition at the blue line.
7 - Johnathan Kovacevic
If the Devils keep seven defensemen in the lineup next season, I would like to see Johnathan Kovacevic stick around, and acquiring him was one of my favorite under-the-radar moves. In 62 games last season, he finished with 13 points and six goals, plus a sound 13.0 shooting percentage.
He averaged well over one block and hit per contest, and he fared well at even strength, finishing with a Corsi For of 47.0, even with 62.2 percent of his starts coming in the defensive zone. Also, at even strength, the Habs scored 41 times when Kovacevic was on the ice, and he watched just 33 goals get by his netminder.
6 - Simon Nemec
Growing pains were to be expected from Simon Nemec last season, but that just means he’s making a jump in 2024-25, right? Still, 19 points and three goals in 60 games wasn’t bad; he also got in front of 105 potential shots on goal, and he did all of this as a 19-year-old.
I get that he went through some rookie moments, but it wasn’t like the team was that good overall last season. One encouraging number is that he was on the ice for 56 goals for at even strength, with an on-ice shooting percentage of 10.2. There’s positivity here with Nemec, and I can see him moving up in these rankings in his age-20 season.
5 - Jonas Siegenthaler
Jonas Siegenthaler is in dire need of a bounce-back season, and while he got in front of scoring lanes and landed 87 body checks in 57 contests, his overall game wasn’t up to par. That said, multiple injuries to himself and losing Dougie Hamilton for the season were definite culprits in 2023-24, and that would definitely contain key ingredients for an overall down season.
Ironically, his overall possession metrics weren’t bad, with Siegenthaler maintaining a 51.1 Corsi For at even strength. And when you adjust his on-ice goals against to 80 games, you get 63, just three more than he had in 2022-23. What I’m ultimately getting to is, there was some good, even if Siegenthaler had his fair share of struggles.
4 - Brenden Dillon
If the Devils wanted to get more physical, they found the right player, as Brenden Dillon finished the year with 241 hits in 77 games. The Devils logged just 1,667 hits last year, good for just over 20 per game, so Dillon will help out the cause early and often.
At even strength, Dillon found himself on the ice for 65 goals for, with a Winnipeg Jets team that ranked 15th in the league after finding the net 259 times. That allowed him to end the year with an on-ice shooting percentage of 11.1 in the same situation, the second-highest mark of his career. Not only will he bring a veteran presence, but expect some leadership, too.
3 - Luke Hughes
Luke Hughes made the All-Rookie Team last season and finished in third place for the Calder Trophy following what was a solid first season in Newark. Through 82 games, he finished with nine goals and 47 points, and you know he’ll be aiming to at least get close to what his brother, Quinn, has been accomplishing in Vancouver - always nice to have that extra motivation.
Hughes recorded over 21 minutes a game last season, and he was part of the struggles the Devils suffered through when they didn’t have the puck. I’d like to see him help contribute to the team scoring even more frequently in 2024-25, and he definitely needs to help his team keep opponents from finding so many scoring lanes. He was also on the ice for 85 goals at even strength last year, and it’s a number that must start trekking south.
2 - Brett Pesce
If the Devils wanted more help at the blue line, they got some with Brenden Dillon, but they may have won out with Brett Pesce. Pesce isn’t the most physical defenseman out there, and he won’t score often, but his consistent positioning is what made him such a stellar signing.
Maybe it’s premature to rank someone like Pesce so highly when he has yet to play a single shift for the Devils, but he was a big reason behind the Carolina Hurricanes success in recent seasons. Overall, he was a good pickup and a shoo-in for the top-four for his debut season in Newark.
1 - Dougie Hamilton
I’ll also rarely place a player at No. 1 if they missed most of the season, but there are some whose absence affects an entire unit, and that could have been the case this season with Dougie Hamilton. While he played in just 20 games last season, Hamilton remained at the top of his game with 16 points and five goals, an 8.2 shooting percentage, 24 blocks, and 18 hits.
He’s made NHL All-Star Teams - Second Team in 2020-21, and Hamilton also finished sixth for the Norris Trophy in 2022-23. The Devils missed his creativity, and his overall presence, and the blue line should see a much better season in 2024-25 if he’s 100 percent come October.
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