Hamilton underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle Friday and will be out indefinitely.
This will be a big blow to the Devils' blue line, though they are able to replace Hamilton with highly regarded prospect, Simon Nemec. Despite a minus-8 rating, Hamilton has five goals and 16 points in 20 games this season. An update on his status should be available once the team has a better idea of his recovery timeline.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Surfaces on IR
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Hamilton (upper body) has been placed on injured reserve, per the NHL media site.
Hamilton's placement on injured reserve was presumably made retroactive to Nov. 29, so he should be eligible to return Thursday against the Kraken, although it remains to be seen if he'll have enough time to heal up ahead of that contest. Look for Luke Hughes to continue to skate on the No. 1 power-play unit during Hamilton's absence.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Out Thursday
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Hamilton (upper body) isn't expected to play Thursday versus Philadelphia.
Hamilton sustained the injury during Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Islanders. He's been a key defenseman for the Devils this season, providing five goals and 16 points in 20 contests while averaging 20:59 of ice time. Brendan Smith, who was previously serving as a forward, is projected to shift to defense and serve on a pairing with Jonas Siegenthaler against the Flyers. Samuel Laberge is set to play on the fourth line in his NHL debut after being summoned from AHL Utica on Wednesday.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Being evaluated for injury
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Hamilton (upper body) is being evaluated and remains questionable for Thursday's game versus Philadelphia, coach Lindy Ruff told Sam Kasan of the Devils' official site on Wednesday.
Hamilton suffered the injury during Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the Islanders. He has five goals and 16 points in 20 contests this campaign. If Hamilton can't play Thursday, then Brendan Smith, who has been serving as a forward, will likely shift to defense, and Samuel Laberge might make his NHL debut as a member of the fourth line.
Hamilton suffered an upper-body injury Tuesday versus the Islanders, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Hamilton was unable to play in the third period after logging 13:25 of ice time over the first two frames. The 30-year-old can be considered day-to-day for now. If he misses time, Luke Hughes and John Marino figure to fill the gap, while Brendan Smith would likely move back from forward to defense.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Sets up power-play marker
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Hamilton recorded a power-play assist, three shots on goal, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Jets.
Hamilton has a goal and three helpers over his last four games, all coming on the power play. His last even-strength point came back on Oct. 24. The defenseman is up to five goals, six helpers, eight power-play points, 50 shots on net, 19 blocked shots and a minus-8 rating through 14 contests overall.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Two points in Tuesday's loss
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Hamilton scored a power-play goal on four shots, added an assist, blocked two shots and logged two PIM in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Avalanche.
Hamilton earned his second multi-point effort of the season, and both points came with the man advantage. The defenseman has two goals and two assists over his last four games, a strong start to November after his slumped over the last three contests in October. He's at five tallies, 10 points (seven on the power play), 44 shots on net, 16 blocked shots, eight PIM and a minus-5 rating through 12 appearances this season.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Supplies power-play goal
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Hamilton provided a power-play goal in the Devils' 5-3 win over Minnesota on Thursday.
Hamilton bested Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson late in the third period to give New Jersey the 5-3 edge it finished with. That marker snapped Hamilton's three-game scoring drought. He has four goals and seven points in nine outings this campaign, which is an offensive pace the 30-year-old defenseman is capable of maintaining.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Flashes elite form in OT win
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Hamilton supplied a power-play goal among seven shots in Friday's 5-4 overtime win over the Islanders.
Hamilton is picking up where he left off last season, when he sailed to a new career high in points based on 22 goals and 52 assists over 82 games. The Devils are just four games deep into the new campaign, yet Hamilton's lit the lamp three times to complement a pair of assists. While fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to maintain his otherworldly shooting percentage (20.0), it's safe to say that Hamilton is cemented among the elite of NHL defensemen.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Grabs two points in home loss
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Hamilton managed a goal and an assist in Friday's 4-3 shootout loss against the visiting Coyotes.
Hamilton scored a power-play goal, giving him two goals in as many nights to kick off the new NHL season. The veteran rearguard also ended up with two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a minor penalty. He'll look to push his goal-scoring streak to three games Monday against the Panthers.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Opens season with goal
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Hamilton scored a goal on a team-high five shots in Thursday's 4-3 victory over the Red Wings.
Hamilton put the Devils in front 3-2 early late in the third period, ripping a slap shot past Ville Husso. After undergoing wrist surgery in the offseason, the 30-year-old defenseman appears to have picked up where he left off last year, when he tallied career highs in goals (22) and points (74). Hamilton will open the 2023-24 campaign on New Jersey's top defensive pairing while manning the point on its second power-play unit.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Wrist feels good
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Hamilton, who underwent wrist surgery in May, is feeling "great." He was a full participant in Thursday's practice, per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.
Hamilton scored 22 goals and 74 points in 82 contests with the Devils in 2022-23. He'll reprise his role as the Devils' featured No. 1 defender in 2023-24.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Undergoes wrist surgery
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Hamilton underwent right wrist surgery recently but is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season, James Nichols of The Fourth Period reports.
Hamilton was injured at the end of New Jersey's first-round playoff series against the Rangers. He played through the issue during the team's second-round loss to Carolina. Hamilton amassed 22 goals and 74 points in 82 games during the 2022-23 regular season.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Played with injured wrist
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Hamilton suffered a "bad" wrist injury in opening round versus the Rangers, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Hamilton played through the injury, as he did not miss any action, but his offensive performance in the postseason was a shell of what it was during the regular season. Hamilton had a goal and four points in 12 playoff contests after a great 2022-23 regular season campaign, as he set career highs in goals with 22 and assists with 52. Hamilton was second among NHL defensemen with 74 regular-season points and should be drafted as a top-five fantasy blueliner next season.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Two points in Game 3 OT win
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Hamilton scored the game-winning goal, added a power-play assist and levied two hits in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over the Rangers in Game 3.
Hamilton set up Jack Hughes on the second-period equalizer, then scored a goal of his own 11:36 into overtime to complete the comeback win. These were Hamilton's first two points through three postseason contests. The 29-year-old defenseman had a career year with 22 tallies, 52 assists and a plus-23 rating in 82 regular-season contests, and getting his offense going will go a long way for the Devils to make this first-round series at least interesting.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Scores in finale
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Hamilton scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Capitals.
Hamilton ended a three-game scoring drought in the third period, ripping a one-timer from the point past Darcy Kuemper to tie the game 4-4 and force overtime. The 29-year-old Hamilton finishes a career-best year offensively with 22 goals and 74 points, third most among defensemen.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Good to go
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Hamilton (illness) is expected to play Tuesday versus the Sabres, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Hamilton missed Monday's practice, but he's set to avoid missing a game. He'll play on the top pair and first power-play unit as usual. The Devils are dressing seven defensemen, which may help to ease the burden on the 29-year-old if he's not quite at 100 percent.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Dealing with illness
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Hamilton (illness) didn't participate in Monday's practice, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
It is unclear at this time if Hamilton will play in Tuesday's game against Buffalo. He has racked up 21 goals, 73 points, 270 shots on net and 86 blocked shots in 80 contests this campaign.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Grabs two more points
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Hamilton tallied a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.
Hamilton opened the scoring in the first period Tuesday, beating Tristan Jarry with a one-timer off a feed from Ondrej Palat. Hamilton would pick up another point with an assist on Timo Meier's power-play goal in the second. The 29-year-old defenseman has had a tremendous season offensively with 21 goals and 73 points, both career highs.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Tops 70 points for first time
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Hamilton scored a goal and added an assist in a 6-3 win over Chicago on Saturday.
He opened the scoring at 6:09 of the first with his 20th goal of the season. It came on a one-timer from the high slot of an Ondrej Palat pass. With the points, Hamilton has 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists) this season. That makes him just the second defender in Devils history to record at least 70 points in a single season. The other? Scott Stevens put up 78 points (18 goals, 60 assists) in 1993-94.
