With seemingly a glut of right handed defensemen, and a few other team issues that need fixing, will we see the Devils move a player from that group to address a weakness, and if so, who?
The New Jersey Devils saw their season come to an end on Tuesday night, going down in five games against the Carolina Hurricanes. While the team fought hard at times, it seemed like an eventuality with the group missing three regular defenders by the end of the series, having another two just recently return from injuries and of course still also missing one Jack Hughes. Even if those injuries had not been, there were glaring flaws with the 2024-25 team that showed as the season progressed. Scoring aside from the core players was a question mark, and forward depth in general just seemed to be a problem as well. So now the Devils have a summer to bolster the underperforming areas; so how do they do it?
Well, good news is the salary cap is expected to rise and the only restricted free agent that will see any sort of substantial raise is Luke Hughes, meaning the Devils will have some cap space. However, there could be some potential issues that arise from trying to add both some additional scoring and replace the underwhelming, underperforming depth guys. The first issue is who is available, which is outside of the Devils’ control, while the second is offering contracts so large that they diminish long-term cap flexibility. While the Devils are in a position where they should be close to the cap as a team wanting to compete for a Stanley Cup, they also can’t put themselves in a spot that results in an earlier closing of their competitive window.
There is, however, one option that can solve both of those problems: trades.
The Devils are no strangers to making moves that they think will make the overall group better; heck they made a couple last summer. Draft capital, however, is a bit think, and the team doesn’t have the best prospect pool in the league either. They do, however, have a bunch of right handed defensemen, which in today’s NHL, is a commodity. Everyone assumed that Johnny Kovacevic would be the casualty of the team also having Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce signed long-term while youngsters Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey pushed for spots. The team surprised everyone at the trade deadline though when Kovacevic was extended for the next three seasons. This, of course, has led to speculation of varying degrees with the other three names.
Dougie Hamilton may be the player that the Devils move on from, particularly when you consider his reduced role with the team. He’s not an ineffective NHLer by any means, but a lot of what he brings, the Devils already get from Luke Hughes, as well as (to a lesser extent) Seamus Casey. Combine that with the facts that Dougie’s full no movement adjusts to include a modified no trade clause, as well as him at 31 being the oldest RHD, and perhaps he’s the one to move on from.
Trading Hamilton, however might not bring back as big of a return as a younger defender though. He’s not old by any means, but he is exiting (arguably has exited) his prime years, and he’s also coming off of injuries both last season and this most recent one. To some teams that could lower his value. To other teams, his $9 million salary cap hit could be a separate reason to avoid acquiring him. Dougie is not a salary dump though; he’s still a useful NHL player. Said injuries affecting his postseason play, and again he carries a cap hit that might not have other teams parting with the assets that the Devils would want in return for him.
The other option here would be to part with either Simon Nemec or Seamus Casey, who both still have some growing to do before they reach their full potential. I’m not wild about trading either guy, as I think both could be good NHL players, but with Pesce and now Kovacevic here for years to come, that only leaves one slot on the right unless someone shifts to their off hand side. An additional possibility here: the Devils could eventually move Hamilton AND one of these two, but as the playoffs showed us, you still have to have some depth; for that reason, I don’t expect two of the three names being discussed to be moved quite yet.
Of the two youngsters, if we had to keep only one, I think I prefer Nemec at this point. Not that I don’t like Casey (and game winning goal aside), but Nemec did not seem out of place during the playoffs. There were times where he was one of the few Devils defenders having a good game when others were getting hemmed in their own zone. I also think Casey could have a bit more value to other teams because of his offensive upside, which could net the Devils a bigger return. It might have to be a package deal if the Devils are aiming for a higher priced piece, but Casey is a good asset that could help the Devils patch a lineup hole while not sacrificing the future.
If you wanted me to make my choice, however, it would be Hamilton out of all three who would go. Keeping him just continues to block both Nemec and Casey regardless of if you keep one or both, and even without Dougie, there’s still enough experience on the back end with veterans like Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler and Brenden Dillon. Nemec and Casey are both also still waiver exempt according to PuckPedia, meaning for the time being one could be an every night defender in the NHL while the other plays the same role in the AHL; neither would have to be press box fodder. I honestly don’t like writing this; Dougie has been a good Devil in his time and he seems like a funny, likeable teammate. Hockey is still a business though and at some point, perhaps as early as this summer, the Devils have to contemplate what moves need to be made to get the team to the next level. The lineup spot and cap space might be more valuable used elsewhere than on a defender whose skills can be replicated by others in the lineup.
What are your thoughts on the Devils right handed defense situation; do you see them moving on from a player this summer? Is it Hamilton or one of the younger guys? Do you have a preferred target to move one of these players for? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!