Dougie Hamilton

Grade: A-

2025-26 Review

It was an interesting season to say the least for Dougie Hamilton. Things came to a head when he was made a healthy scratch on January 11 as trade rumors and reports of Hamilton blocking potential trades swirled. It culminated in Hamilton’s agent releasing a statement. Devils now former general manger Tom Fitzgerald then released a statement of his own. However, when it was all said and done it was a highly successful, albeit underrated, season for Hamilton.

Even when the perception around Hamilton was that he was struggling and the scratch was deserved, it was extremely untrue. At the time of his healthy scratch early January here is how Hamilton ranked among Devils defensemen:

• Corsi-for percentage (CF%): 1st
• Expected goals-for percentage (xGF%): 1st
• High-danger Corsi-for percentage (HDCF%): 1st
• Offensive zone start percentage: 6th
• On-ice shooting percentage: 7th

Note, the above rankings are among eight Devils defensemen that played at least three games. All statistics are play at five-on-five.

Funny enough, at the time we also alluded to the idea Hamilton has been playing more than acceptable and was due for some positive regression. Regardless, what the above tells you is that when on the ice the Devils were drastically outplaying teams in terms of chance generation, both quantity and quality, and suppression. He was doing so while also starting in the offensive zone at a very low rate, especially compared to his teammates. Something he hasn’t really done much in his career prior.

The reason for the disconnect between the perception and the true on-ice performances was the dreadful 5.17% team shooting percentage while Hamilton was on the ice. That figure not only ranked second-to-last on the Devils but also seventh-worst among 239 skaters to have played at least 150 minutes of five-on-five ice time through January 11 (date of Hamilton’s benching).

Hamilton’s on-ice impacts remained strong after his return to the lineup and finally saw that on-ice shooting percentage positively regress. As a result, he posted 29 points over the final 37 games of the season and the perception around his game changed dramatically.

Funny enough, 2025-26 turned out to be arguably the 32-year-old’s best defensive season of his 14-year career. According to Evolving Hockey’s goals above replacement (GAR) statistics, Hamilton’s defensive impacts ranked in the league’s 89th percentile. He was also graded very positively offensively at five-on-five, on the power play, and the penalty kill. His overall on-ice metrics put him in the 85th percentile.

Bottom line, Hamilton played as a true two-way defenseman excelling in all areas of the ice, outside penalty-taking. He may not exactly been worth that full $9 million price tag he carries, but at this point in the life of the contract, that is not exactly surprising. And, with both sides of the ice factored in, he was pretty close to it.

2026-27 Outlook

Despite the terrific season, Dougie Hamilton is certainly a name to watch this offseason in potential trades. With the Devils being a bit strapped for cash, moving Hamilton’s $9 million cap hit, or at least some of it, may be enticing. A resolution on Hamilton’s status will be one of the first things new general manager Sunny Mehta will certainly be tasked with solving.

However, with Mehta’s analytical background and how strong Hamilton graded out and played in 2025-26, keeping Hamilton for the duration of his contract would not be the least bit of a shock. He is comfortably the team’s best defenseman as it stands and should be looked at as much entering 2026-27 pending a trade or hopefully a large step forward for Luke Hughes.

The above statistics are courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey.