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Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Devils 2025-26 Player Previews: Dougie Hamilton

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Donnah Campbell | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 12:30 PM ET

With training camp just around the corner, the New Jersey Devils are gearing up for an eventful 2025-26 season. The club will seek to make a deeper playoff run than last year, as fan favorites, along with some new faces, seek to take the Eastern Conference by storm. In this new series, we’ll look at each player, breaking down their role on the Devils’ roster, including predictions and potential impact, along with their role for the upcoming season.

In the first installment of this series, we’ll take a closer look at Dougie Hamilton, who is still widely considered one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL.

Dougie Hamilton: At a Glance

Drafted: 9^th Overall (1^st Round) by the Boston Bruins in 2011

Contract Status: Year five of seven, $9 million average annual value (AAV)

2024-25 Stats: 9 goals, 31 assists (40 points in 64 games)

Career Stats: 151 goals, 350 assists (501 points in 835 games)

2024-25 Season Recap

Following a torn pectoral muscle that sidelined him for most of the 2023-24 season, fans had high hopes that Hamilton would remain healthy last year. He certainly came out swinging during the preseason, fully recovered from surgery and generating scoring chances left and right. But even though his 64 games were a far cry from the mere 20 he played a season before, he still suffered a lower-body injury, which prevented him from returning during the 2024-25 regular season.

While his point production has not come close to his career year in 2022-23, Hamilton still hit the 40-point threshold last season. This included his noteworthy hot streak last November, where he notched 12 points in 14 games. And his offensive impact held strong, considering he averaged 2.9 shots on goal per game. He also finished last season second in points among all Devils’ defensemen, and led their blue line in Corsi for per 60 minutes (CF/60), with a rate of 67.88 shot attempts in 5-on-5 scenarios.

His absence from the lineup left a noticeable gap, one felt by the entire team. After Hamilton’s injury, the Devils had a rocky end to the regular season, unable to string more than three wins together before clinching a postseason slot. Luckily, he returned for Round 1 of the playoffs, managing two assists and racking up an impressive amount of ice time, including 31:16 in Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes. This year marked the eighth playoff appearance of his career, and it’s clear that he’s still capable of handling a top-four role.

Despite making an impressive postseason comeback, Hamilton was snubbed by Canada on the international stage. Several factors may have contributed to this, including his string of previous injuries and his slow start to the 2024-25 season. Still, he was noticeably absent from Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off and was not invited to participate in the Olympic orientation camp. Nevertheless, Hamilton played a significant role with the Devils in 2024-25, coming in handy when the team needed him most. His defensive stats might have seen a slight dip, but he’s still a crucial part of their roster, generating scoring chances at an impressive rate.

Hamilton’s 2025-26 Expectations

For a while, it appeared that Hamilton could have been traded, and the veteran defenseman was frequently brought up as a candidate to make cap space available for Luke Hughes’s upcoming deal. There’s no denying that Hughes is emerging as the next up-and-coming defenseman, a notion that will only be further cemented once he signs a contract. But despite the Devils’ blue line turning toward younger players, Hamilton will still have an important role as a top-four defenseman, quarterbacking their first power-play unit.

His $9 million cap hit remains the team’s most expensive contract, but his contributions are well worth the high price tag. He’s strong in high-danger scenarios and on the man advantage, paving the way with his lethal slap shot and offensive prowess. Even though some may argue that his history of injuries makes him a liability, he continues to play at an elite level.

Within the past two seasons, his on-ice shots for, goals for, and high-danger goals for percentages have all been on the rise, meaning he could cross the 50-point threshold in the upcoming season. During his exit interview, Hamilton admitted that the team’s main focus would be combining all the moving parts and using the offseason to learn how to improve. “We have the foundation now to really build on this season, and we have all the players in place…It’s up to us to get better this summer and work hard and be ready to be better,” said Hamilton.

The Devils have an experienced, veteran defensive core, which will be a key factor in their return to the playoffs. And with two seasons left on Brenden Dillon’s contract, it appears that Hamilton’s defense partner will remain the same. The two had a positive on-ice impact, and Dillon’s numbers skyrocketed as a result.

While it’s impossible to say if Hamilton can return to peak performance, it’s clear that he is incredibly devoted to making New Jersey’s franchise successful. He will not become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) until the end of the 2027-28 season, so there’s plenty of time for him to take the Devils to the next level as they seek to remain Stanley Cup contenders.