With a new season comes new questions. For the New Jersey Devils, their issues on defense are not a horrible problem to have. On June 9, the longest-tenured Devil, Damon Severson, was involved in a sign-and-trade that landed him an eight-year, $50 million extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Now the Devils’ defense will not have Severson on their blue line for the first time since 2014. Why? The simple answer is younger and better. However, do not expect the defense to fly right out of the gates.
After a long rebuild for New Jersey, the 2022-23 season was more successful than what any fan or expert could predict. Entering the offseason, three defensemen were free agents. With the departure of Severson, Ryan Graves and Kevin Bahl need new contracts. However, high-end defensive prospects will make the Devils question who they want on their back end to begin next season.
Devils’ 2022-23 Defensive Group
Severson and Graves were regulars on the Devils’ roster in the 2022-23 season. Severson played 81 regular season games and 12 playoff games. Graves played 78 regular season games and 10 playoff games. Furthermore, both averaged just under 20 minutes a game. Recently, James Nichols shared more insight on Graves’ future, “Not that @PierreVLeBrun needs any validation, but I can confirm multiple teams have inquired with interest to acquire the rights of #NJDevils pending UFA Ryan Graves.” Of course, the offseason rumors and speculation always remain fluid, but all signs point to Graves finding a new team.
The defense also consists of Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, John Marino, Kevin Bahl, and Brendan Smith. Each of these players played at least 40 games with New Jersey during the season. With that personnel, the defense and goaltending allowed 222 goals during the regular season, ranking them eighth in the league. The defensive pair that played at least 350 minutes together that allowed the least amount of expected goals against per 60 minutes was the Smith-Severson pairing. They ranked 10th in the league with only 2.12 xGoals against per 60 minutes. In the 21st spot with 2.34 xGoals against per 60 minutes was the Graves-Marino pairing. Losing Severson and potentially Graves will leave holes in the defensive pairings that the Devils will fill with prospects or cheap options in free agency.
The defensive roles for New Jersey changed drastically from the 2021-22 season to the 2022-23 season. In the prior season, Severson led the defense in ice time with an average of 23:36. In his next season, he became the sixth skater with 19:57 of average ice time. The arrival of Marino allowed for the roles to change and a stronger defensive showing for the team. Therefore, the departure of Severson and the expected departure of Graves will cause a shake-up in the upcoming season, but their replacements will look to produce a bigger impact on the game.
Luke Hughes
Devils fans have no reason to believe that Luke Hughes will not begin the season with the Devils and be a staple on the roster for years to come. The younger brother of star center Jack Hughes appeared in two regular-season games and three playoff games. Stepping into the NHL at 19 years old is a challenge and most experts and fans expect a rookie defenseman to make mistakes and not be as noticeable on the ice. However, the 2021 fourth-overall pick did not follow suit. In only his second NHL game, Hughes scored an overtime-winning goal and added an assist in the same game. Furthermore, he played a whopping 21:13.
The small sample size that fans saw from Hughes was extremely promising but still small. He will have to adjust to the grind of an 82-game season plus the grit of the playoffs. In three playoff games, he averaged 19:15 of ice time. Once again, he stomped on expectations with the amount of ice time he was given and how few mistakes he made. Unfortunately, he will face a new challenge of playing big minutes almost every other night. With a combination of facing the best offensive talents in the world, there is sure to be an adjustment period for him. The next question will be finding a suitable partner for the defensive weapon. A mobile, yet defense-minded player that will play well with Hughes is Marino. He is impressively calm in the defensive zone and is an expert at cleaning up the mistakes of his teammates.
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Luke Hughes is also the tallest of the three Hughes brothers at 6-foot-2. However, he will fill out more and gain strength as his career continues. He is currently 180 pounds. If he can use his large stature and become a physical player, he will be a triple threat of speed, physicality, and stick handling.
Simon Nemec
Simon Nemec was selected second overall in the 2022 Draft by the Devils. He is a right-handed defenseman that is poised the replace Severson. However, that is a tall task to ask of a 19-year-old who has yet to play an NHL game. There is little doubt that he will be a powerhouse defenseman, the only question is when? General manager Tom Fitzgerald expects him to get better and better, “The gains he can make in the summer strength-wise is only going to help him become the best player he can. We don’t forget that he’s only 19 years old. But what he will look like when he’s 22, 23, 24, 25 is exciting to say the least.” (from ‘Why Devils, having traded Damon Severson, should make Simon Nemec a full-time NHLer next season’, NJ.com, 6/10/2023). Experience is vital in the league, and the only way to gain it is by playing.
Deep Defensive Pipeline
Along with Hughes and Nemec, the Devils have more defensive prospects with potential. Bahl showed immense growth in the NHL and played 42 games. His defensive awareness and composure have noticeably improved as he played more. He is 6-foot-6 and can skate amazingly well for his big body. With Graves likely on his way out, Bahl will keep the size of the Devils’ defense intact.
Furthermore, Casey Seamus was drafted by New Jersey in the 2022 Draft and was the 46th overall pick. He was teammates with Luke Hughes at the University of Michigan and is not a prospect to be overlooked. However, New Jersey will likely have two 19-year-olds on their roster for the start of the 2023-24 season. The excitement of watching Hughes and Nemec in New Jersey is palpable, yet risky.
