The New Jersey Devils suffered a major blow with the injury to star defenseman Luke Hughes. However, rather than giving more action to D-man and recent healthy scratch Dougie Hamilton, the best course of action for New Jersey is to trade Hamilton and balance out their roster more effectively.
In what is already a disappointing season for them, the New Jersey Devils gave their fans some unfortunate news on Wednesday when they placed defenseman Luke Hughes on long-term injured reserve.
Hughes, who leads New Jersey in ice time, averaging 23:04 per game, and who leads their group of D-men in points, with 26 in 49 games, was injured against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
Not many players can replace Hughes on the back end, including the recently healthy-scratched blueliner, Dougie Hamilton.
In the wake of Hughes’ injury, which will keep him out a minimum of 10 games and 24 days, it is tempting to not to trade Hamilton at this point. But the Devils should resist that temptation.
It would not be surprising if Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald burned a bridge with Hamilton when the team made him a healthy scratch, and the best course of action is still trading Hamilton and freeing up his $9-million salary cap hit to better balance out New Jersey’s roster.
Now, some will argue that retaining Hamilton is the right move for Fitzgerald, as Hamilton can be a seamless fit to be placed back in action and given a decent amount of minutes.
But even with Hamilton playing regularly again, there’s no guarantee it will lead to a surge in the Metropolitan Division standings for the Devils.
Indeed, in the 45 games Hamilton has featured in this season, New Jersey has remained a non-playoff team. So why would it be any different now?
Meanwhile, the case to trade Hamilton makes much more sense. Not only can Fitzgerald spend Hamilton’s cap space on an experienced forward who can be a needle-mover, but he could also potentially acquire a player who improves a different part of the roster – namely, in net.
Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that the Devils trade Hamilton to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a package deal that involves either veteran goalie Anthony Stolarz or young netminder Dennis Hildeby.
The Leafs would probably have to include more in the deal to make the cap space work. The important thing would be that Hildeby or Stolarz could be depended on in a way New Jersey no longer can rely on veteran goalie Jacob Markstrom. His individual numbers this season, including an .882 save percentage and 3.27 goals-against average, speak to his lack of effectiveness.
Adding another goaltending option would make the Devils far more competitive than they’d be by keeping Hamilton around. The cap hits of Stolarz at $2.5 million this season and $3.75 million for the following four years, and Hildeby's $841,667 hit are minuscule compared to Hamilton’s.
Fitzgerald could add a goalie and still have plenty of cap space to go out and add either another defenseman or a forward of consequence.
Heading into this season, the Devils had one of the deepest defense corps in the league, and even without Hamilton and Hughes, they’ve still got a solid group of blueliners. But you can’t say the same thing for New Jersey’s forwards and goaltenders, and that’s what a Hamilton trade could address.
The last thing the Devils should want is the status quo, because the status quo has put them in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. And that’s why a Hamilton trade should be a priority for New Jersey.
There’s an obvious need around the league for experienced D-men, and the Devils would have arguably the best trade option on the market if they put Hamilton on the trade block.
Thus, Fitzgerald can’t afford to wait for Hughes to return to action to make a major move. He should be striking while the iron is hot, and from Hamilton’s perspective, a fresh start on a new team is best for him as well.
The Devils are running out of time to shake things up, and waiting until the NHL’s March 6 trade deadline could put them in a hole they can’t crawl out from in time to be a Stanley Cup playoff team.
When Hughes returns, New Jersey’s defense corps is going to be strong, so they can afford to move Hamilton and get out from under that contract.
Waiting too long to move Hamilton could result in the Devils missing out on the post-season. And if that’s what happens, Fitzgerald will be rightly criticized for not moving a player he made a healthy scratch not long ago.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.