The Devils' 1-2-0 opening record doesn’t sound the alarm on its own. It’s actually the same record they had to start their historic 2022-23 season, but slow starts have burned them before. GM Sunny Mehta wasted no time in adding forward depth over the offseason, and we could see the same proactivity in the defensive corps if things don’t come together quickly.
Seamus Casey is expected to compete for a spot when he returns from injury in 7–9 weeks, and it's safe to say Devils fans are still holding their breath for Quinn Hughes at the trade deadline. Assuming the current defense group stays mostly healthy, moves will need to be made to free up space both in the lineup and under the salary cap.
Let’s see who could be the odd d-man out if the Devils take a step up at the blue line.
Dougie Hamilton
The Dougie Hamilton trade rumors that boiled over last season got straight-up awkward. Even with the new front office cooling things down and Dougie seemingly rolling with the punches, it’s tough to fully extradite that elephant from the room.
Hamilton’s tenure with the Devils has been a roller coaster, and at the crest of it, he set their single-season record for goals by a defenseman. But unfortunately for loyalists, it may still be nearing time to move on from the jolly “admin” that many grew to love on and off the ice.
This past offseason’s contract explosion makes Hamilton’s $9-million AAV contract look a bit more palatable. He’s got just under two years left on the deal, and his camp made it clear during the aforementioned trade talks that they were open to expanding his 10-team trade list.
He may not repeat the 22-goal, 74-point season he had in 2022-23, but the towering defenseman could still be a worthwhile target for a deadline contender willing to make the cap space — which is exactly what Mehta will need to do in order to acquire Quinn.
Jonas Siegenthaler
Tuesday’s 5-3 loss to the Utah Mammoth came with a familiar setback: a Jonas Siegenthaler injury. While he stuck through all 82 games last year, he missed at least 25 games in each of the prior two seasons.
The good news is the injury might not be as bad as it looked, and per Amanda Stein, Siegenthaler may be back in the lineup on Saturday. The bad news is we’ve heard that before, and staying healthy has been one of the team’s greatest challenges of the last few years. He practiced with the team on Thursday, but we're still waiting to see if he'll be back in the next Devils game.
Siegenthaler is in the last two years of a digestible $3.4-million contract, and his 10-team no-trade list shouldn’t be too much of an obstacle if Mehta wants to move him. Should the Devils indeed land Quinn Hughes at the trade deadline, Siegs could be shipped out to make space on the left side.
Declan Chisholm
The Siegenthaler injury came with a silver lining for Declan Chisholm. Swapping over to his natural left side and paired with Dougie Hamilton, he notched his first point as a Devil, a secondary assist on Jesper Boqvist’s goal.
On the upside, Declan Chisholm is one of only eight Devils skaters to register a point through the first three tilts of the season. On the downside, see previous sentence. This is more a testament to the lackluster back-end production overall than to Chisholm’s offensive prowess.
With Jonathan Kovacevic close to reclaiming his spot on the right side of Brenden Dillon, the return of Siegenthaler would push Chisholm down to the seventh defenseman slot, and that’s without Casey in the mix.
Chisholm is in the last year of a $1.6-million AAV deal with no trade protection. All he cost to bring in was a fourth-round pick, and that would be a fine enough return. Waivers would be fine, too.
Whether it’s a Seamus Casey promotion from inside the organization, a long-awaited Quinn Hughes acquisition from outside, or another move entirely — a Simon Edvinsson trade, perhaps — the defensive squad that opened the season may look different from the one that closes it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google