Devils Going Forward as 31-Year-Old Defenseman Possibly Out for the Postseason
There’s no doubt the New Jersey Devils have had their luck tested with injuries this season; it’s been a rough ride as they continue to barely stay alive in the Metropolitan Division. The remainder of the season is about to get scarier as another Devils player has bitten the dust for the remainder of the regular season, New Jersey defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Announced just this afternoon, the New Jersey defenseman had been out with a lower-body injury since he got tangled up with Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment in their 4-3 loss on March 4th. A big loss as New Jersey has always been a team looking to improve on defense throughout the years. The 31-year-old defenseman has mustered up nine goals and 31 assists in his 63 games played this season, currently serving the fourth year of his seven-year contract. With the defenseman out for the season, and quite possibly the postseason, what does this mean for the Devils’ playoff chance going forward?
Things already looked bleak for the postseason when New Jersey lost their first overall pick Jack Hughes against Vegas on March 2nd. To make matters worse, Hughes is to miss the postseason as well, leaving New Jersey already vulnerable, a loss like this couldn’t come at a worse time. Columbus has already been sneaking into their third-place position for some time, their time without their goaltender Jacob Markström had certainly made this Metropolitan division as close as it gets. It’s clearly difficult already to make a push without their offense, but with the loss of some crucial defense, their odds of just winning a round fall straight down.
Fortunately for New Jersey, they gained some breathing room with their win against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, with six points ahead in 18 games remaining. Being 5-5-0 in their previous 10 games, some luck will need to present itself as their schedule isn’t getting any easier, especially with this Eastern Conference race getting closer by the day. Through their next 10 games, they will go on to face seven teams currently in a playoff position, meaning they’re in for a big test to see if this is still an NHL team worthy of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Being weeks away from this regular season's end, New Jersey will have to surprise these very patient fans as all they can do is move forward, and hope they are ready to take the next step to the postseason.
