In their opening night game, the New Jersey Devils went 0-4 on the power play,

Including 0-3 in first period. At the end of their third opportunity, defenseman Dougie Hamilton lost the puck at the point, forcing the Devils to touch up to avoid offsides. 

The fumbled puck brought a round of boos from the crowded Prudential Center, more so than a typical error at the blue line from a defenseman. The fans weren’t just venting on the play; they were venting at the player, the contract, the tenure he’s put together with the Devils thus far. 

Hamilton responded with a goal in the second period, the Devils’ first in the game, that woke up the building. “He fires away, gets a second look, fires again. It's a great shot,” head coach Sheldon Keefe stated after the game, acknowledging the accuracy but, more importantly, the effort to keep firing away and giving the Devils a chance. His goal got the offense going and kickstarted the 3-2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers. 

The 33-year-old defenseman has become a lightning rod for the Devils, certainly for the fans in recent years. Hamilton is a favorite when the team is playing well and a scapegoat when they struggle, whether he deserves the criticism or not. It’s the life of a defenseman, especially an offensive-minded defenseman, yet he’s taken a lot of heat over the years because of who he is and what he brings to the lineup. 

Hamilton Has Always Had The Hype (Or Overhype)

Hamilton’s lofty expectations go back to his early playing days, back when he was drafted with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Boston Bruins. He was a highly regarded prospect at the time and was a regular on the defense by the time the 2012-13 season rolled around. There are high expectations for a defenseman when they are on the team at 19 years old. 

Yet, the Bruins traded him three seasons later to the Calgary Flames, giving up on a young defenseman well before they knew how he’d pan out. The Flames are where he found his footing, but they traded him as well in the 2018 offseason. While the Flames moved him as part of a blockbuster trade that landed them Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, the move said a lot about Hamilton. He was traded twice before turning 25, a sign that teams are willing to give up and move on from him. 

That said, Hamilton still had the talent to be a great defenseman. All it took was for a team to believe in him. The Carolina Hurricanes saw the talent and were willing to take a chance on him. They not only acquired Hamilton in the blockbuster trade but made him a cornerstone of their rebuild. 

The Hurricanes Created A High Bar For Him

The Rod Brind’Amour system is kind to defensemen. It allows them to have great seasons as long as they buy in. The defensemen must be great skaters, specifically, to play man-to-man defense, plus, they must be patient with the puck, valuing possession and quality looks on the net. Hamilton was always a great skater, making him the first of many to benefit from Brind’Amour’s style. 

Hamilton looked great at a pivotal time for the Hurricanes. Brind’Amour came in, took a team that was going nowhere, and made them a perennial playoff team. Hamilton was a pivotal part of the resurgence as well, with 121 points and 13 defensive point shares on the other end in three seasons.

While Jaccob Slavin was the emerging shutdown defenseman, slowly becoming one of the best in the game at his craft, Hamilton was the scoring defenseman. Hamilton was the one adding another layer of offense and fueling the playoff runs, especially the 2019 run where the Hurricanes appeared in the Eastern Conference Final. 

It made Hamilton a top player when he went to free agency in the 2021 offseason. The Devils needed a two-way defenseman who they could lean on and thought he’d be the answer, the fix to their woes at the point. 

Hamilton Hasn’t Lived Up To That Contract

The Devils gave Hamilton a seven-year contract with a $9 million average annual value, expecting him to play like a number one defenseman. While they weren’t asking him to lead their rebuild, he was expected to become a big part of their success. After all, he was part of the successful rebuild with the Hurricanes. 

In his five seasons with the Devils, he hasn’t lived up to that contract. It’s the combination of injuries, bad luck, and being a good but not great defenseman that’s left the Devils searching for more. 

It’s made Hamilton someone the Devils have wanted to trade but can’t. The previous front office wanted to send him to the San Jose Sharks and offload the contract, but his no-trade clause got in the way. It’s left the player and the team in a difficult spot where they must wait out the contract, or hope that he rediscovers his game to make that contract worthwhile in the end. 

The Frustration Is That The Devils Go As He Does, Certainly On The Blue Line

The one season with the Devils that Hamilton was healthy and played all 82 regular season games was 2022-23, the best one they’ve had in the past decade. Everything went right for the Devils that season, and it started with Hamilton.

Hamilton not only played every game, but he also scored 22 goals and added 52 assists to the offense, both of which were career highs. He gave the Devils the boost that they needed from the point, opening up the offense when Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier couldn’t. 

For the Devils, they rely on Hamilton. He’s not their best player, but they go as he does, especially on defense. It’s what made his performance on opening night an optimistic sign, that’s he’s poised for a big season, a season where he proves he was worth the $9 million AAV contract. 

“He’s scored in every game I played with him,” rookie forward Amadeus Lombardi joked after his NHL debut, and the Devils are hopeful that he’s a constant threat for the offense. “They should be in the rush like that all year and giving us offense,” Jack Hughes stated, including his brother Luke, who also scored on opening night. With two defensemen making an impact offensively, the conversation around the Devils will change quickly, going from a murky middle team to a top-of-the-division one