Devils’ Dougie Hamilton out for remainder of season, could return for playoffs

New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald announced Thursday that defenseman Dougie Hamilton will be out for the remainder of the 2024-25 regular season due to a lower-body injury.

However, Fitzgerald left open the possibility that Hamilton could return should the Devils advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.

Sidelined for the past three games, Hamilton has seen 63 appearances with New Jersey this season in which he has scored nine times and added 31 assists to lead all Devils defensemen with 40 points.

Originally chosen ninth overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2011 NHL Draft, Hamilton has seen 834 career contests counting stops with the Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, and Devils in which he has collected 151 goals and 350 assists for 501 points. With the Devils in 2022-23, the 31-year-old Toronto native posted a career-high 74 points counting 22 goals and 52 assists coming in 82 games. Hamilton has also added 29 points through 66 postseason appearances.

Per PuckPedia, Hamilton is in the fourth year of a seven-year contract that carries a $9-million annual average value.

With Hamilton sidelined, he joins an injured list in New Jersey that already includes fellow defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a lower-body injury, as well as top forward Jack Hughes, who has been shut down until next year’s training camp after suffering a shoulder injury.

For the Devils, on the season the clubs sits 35-25-6 to hold down third place in the Metropolitan Division with 76 points. Winners of two straight, the Devils will try for their third consecutive victory when the club returns to the ice Thursday to take on the Edmonton Oilers. The Devils have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs one time in the past six years.