Earlier this week, we looked at how the New Jersey Devils’ top-six compares to the rest of the Metropolitan Division. Today, we’ll look at their blue line and how they stack up against their division foes. The Devils’ defense will look different since Ryan Graves and Damon Severson are no longer with the team. But it should still be a formidable enough group that ranks in the top 10-15 of the league and the top half of the division.
Devils Defensive Makeup
Before getting into the other Metropolitan teams, let’s go over the Devils’ blue line. After showing well at the end of last season, they’ll be relying on Luke Hughes and Kevin Bahl to take on more minutes. They also acquired Colin Miller in a trade with the Dallas Stars, and he should play a third-pair role at a minimum:
- Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
- Bahl – John Marino
- L. Hughes – Miller
- Brendan Smith
Hamilton is coming off a career season that saw him total 22 goals and 74 points in 82 games. With Severson now in Columbus with the Blue Jackets, the Devils will rely on him to carry the offense at five-on-five. But he will have help from Hughes, the best candidate to take over the Severson role on the third pair, at least to start the season.
Marino was the Devils’ go-to shutdown defenseman and will likely be again in 2023-24. The organization seems to view Bahl as a potential replacement for Graves, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he starts alongside Marino. Smith will play in his fair share of games and is the ideal depth defenseman for this team.
Now that we have the Devils’ defense, let’s look at the rest of the division, starting with the Carolina Hurricanes and working our way down the 2022-23 standings.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes had one of the best defense cores in the league in 2022-23, and that should be no different this coming season. It only got better this summer, as they signed Dmitry Orlov to a two-year deal and brought back Tony DeAngelo on a one-year contract:
- Jaccob Slavin – Brent Burns
- Orlov – Brett Pesce
- Brady Skjei – DeAngelo
Even at 38 years old, Burns is still one of the top defensemen in the game. He finished last season with 18 goals and 61 points in 82 games and had excellent impacts at even strength, specifically offensively. He’ll have Slavin, one of the best shutdown defenders in the NHL, alongside him again.
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Orlov and Pesce could form a top pair for many teams, but with Slavin and Burns taking on that role in Carolina, they’ll make up the team’s second defense unit. Pesce is a high-end two-way defender, as is Orlov. Having them as a second pair is a luxury, and it speaks to the defensive depth the Hurricanes have.
Even Skjei and DeAngelo on the third pair is a luxury. DeAngelo can’t defend, but he’s solid offensively and will help the Hurricanes’ power play. Skjei is coming off an 18-goal, 38-point campaign and had good two-way impacts at even strength. There’s no question about it, but the Hurricanes have the best blue line in the Metro and maybe the best in the NHL.
New York Rangers
The Rangers had limited cap space to work with this summer, but they did make one of the more underrated signings of the offseason on defense. They brought in Erik Gustafsson, who had 42 points in 70 games last season, on a one-year deal worth $800,000.
- Ryan Lindgren – Adam Fox
- K’Andre Miller – Jacob Trouba
- Gustafsson – Braden Schneider
The Rangers’ blue line begins with Fox, a perennial Norris Trophy contender and one of the best two-way defenders in the NHL. Lindgren doesn’t have the offensive skill Fox does, but he is a high-end shutdown defender, giving the Rangers one of the best top pairs in the NHL.
Miller is a solid top-four defender and has another gear to his game. It’s just a matter of unlocking it. As for Trouba, he has value offensively, but his defensive game has fallen off the last couple of seasons. He isn’t bad enough to be a liability, but he is a below-average defender.
As good as Gustafsson was a year ago, the question is if he can repeat his 2022-23. But even if he doesn’t, he should excel in a third-pair role and could even help the Rangers’ second power-play unit. Schneider has struggled in the NHL and is the weak link on the Rangers’ blue line.
The Devils and Rangers’ defense units are relatively close. They have elite defensemen in Fox and Hamilton and high-end shutdown defenders in Lindgren and Marino. But having a third pair of Hughes and Miller could give the Devils a better unit. Miller is much better than Schneider, and Hughes could feast offensively if that’s how coach Lindy Ruff chooses to deploy him.
New York Islanders
Even though the Islanders did not make any notable moves this offseason, they should still have a solid defense core, one that they’ve had in place for a few seasons now:
- Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock
- Sebastian Aho – Noah Dobson
- Alexander Romanov – Scott Mayfield
Pelech and Pulock have been the Islanders’ top pair for quite some time, and that’s unlikely to change in 2023-24. Pulock had a down year a season ago, but Pelech was still at the top of his game. He’s one of the best shutdown defenders in the NHL and will anchor the Islanders’ blue line.
It’s after the team’s first pair where question marks arise. Aho played well last season, but Dobson struggled quite a bit defensively. There’s no questioning he provides positive offensive value, but the Islanders need him to take a step forward defensively to improve the unit.
Romanov had a decent enough first season with the Islanders. Being that he’s only 23 years old, he probably has some more runway to develop, but his ceiling seems limited. Mayfield doesn’t provide much offense, but he’s always been solid defensively. The Islanders might not have a dynamic threat on the back end like the Devils do in Hamilton and even Hughes, but it’s still a formidable group of defensemen and the strength of their team.
Pittsburgh Penguins
President of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas had a very busy first summer in Pittsburgh. It started by signing Graves to a six-year deal in free agency, then acquiring Erik Karlsson in a blockbuster trade with the San Jose Sharks. That should leave the Penguins’ top-four with a completely new look this season:
- Marcus Pettersson – Karlsson
- Graves – Kris Letang
- Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Chad Ruhwedel
Karlsson is coming off the best season of his career and one of the best we’ve seen from a defenseman in years after totaling 101 points and winning the Norris Trophy. His defensive game was close to non-existent in San Jose, but I’d expect that to improve with the Penguins. Even if it doesn’t, he’s still an elite offensive blueliner. He’s unlikely to put up 100 points again, but ending up with around a point per game is not unreasonable.
Pettersson has quietly become an excellent two-way defender. He is the Penguins’ best blueliner in the defensive zone, so I’d expect him to pair up alongside Karlsson, given Karlsson’s defensive shortcomings. That should give the Penguins one of the best top pairs in the Metro.
Graves played the shutdown role alongside Marino with the Devils this past season, so he’s an option to play alongside Karlsson. But I suspect the Penguins will partner him alongside Letang, giving the team a very solid second pair.
Even the Penguins’ third pair should be a strength with a promising young player in Joseph and the veteran Ruhwedel, who’s been a solid third-pair defender with underrated defensive impacts for a little while. Factor in someone like Ty Smith making a push for a roster spot, and the Penguins’ blue line should see significant improvement this coming season.
To make room for Karlsson and Graves, Dubas shipped out Jan Rutta and Jeff Petry in the trade that brought Karlsson to Pittsburgh. Not only did their blue line improve, but it also got a bit younger in the process. There’s a good argument they have a better defense unit than the Devils, at least for this coming season.
The Rest of the Metro
We’re nearing the bottom of the division, so the Devils should have the edge over the final few teams. But it’s not like the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers and Blue Jackets are devoid of talent. Let’s start with the Capitals, who finished sixth in the Metro a season ago.
John Carlson’s defensive game has fallen off, but he’s still quite good offensively. He’ll put up points at even strength, but the rest of the team’s blue line has holes. Martin Fehervary has shown some promise, but a top-pair role might be a big ask of him. Rasmus Sandin demonstrated the upside that many thought he had with the Maple Leafs after getting traded to the Capitals. He will help their defense core if he lives up to that upside.
Nick Jensen and Trevor van Riemsdyk will solidify the right side of the blue line, while Joel Edmundson comes in to give the Capitals some depth as a third-pair defender on the left side. It’s not the worst group, but the Devils have more talent and better puck-movers than this current version of the Capitals’ defense.
Next up are the Flyers, whose blue line needs work. I’m not sure I ever expected to write this, but Rasmus Ristolainen is the team’s top defenseman after having the best season of his career in 2022-23. He had positive impacts offensively and defensively, so credit goes to coach John Tortorella for righting the ship.
But aside from Ristolainen, there are a bunch of question marks. The Flyers need a bounce-back year from Travis Sanheim, while Cam York is a still developing player. Marc Staal projecting to play second-pair minutes would’ve created excitement once upon a time, but that’s not the case anymore. Nick Seeler and Sean Walker will be a fine enough third pair, but the Devils have the clear edge with Hamilton, Siegenthaler, Marino, and Hughes making up their defense.
Last up are the Blue Jackets. Their defense was arguably the worst in the Eastern Conference a season ago, but it should improve in 2023-24. GM Jarmo Kekalainen acquired Ivan Provorov from the Flyers and Severson from the Devils, and both should slot into the top-four right away.
But the most notable addition to the Blue Jackets’ blue line will be getting Zach Werenski back from injury. That should move Provorov into a more suitable second-pair role, which should benefit him after logging very difficult minutes with the Flyers. Still, the Blue Jackets’ blue line has some question marks.
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Will David Jiricek earn a roster spot out of training camp? If so, he could provide a boost on the third pair. If not, their third pair could consist of Adam Boqvist and Erik Gudbranson (at least Gudbranson’s role would be significantly reduced from a season ago). Will Andrew Peeke play on the second pair if that’s the case? He defends well, but he’s a blackhole offensively.
There’s some talent to work with here. But the Blue Jackets’ defense is a couple of years away from competing with the Devils when prospects like Jiricek, Stanislav Svozil and Denton Mateychuk are full-time contributors. But the Devils undoubtedly have the better group for 2023-24.
Devils Defense Will Go Through Growing Pains
The Devils had one of the best blue lines in the Metro in 2022-23, but it will take a bit of a step back after losing Graves and Severson this offseason. Even then, the Devils’ blue line should be among the top four in the Metro. The Hurricanes are clearly the best, and it’s not particularly close. The Rangers’ top pair, namely because of Fox, gives them a blue line that’s close to on par with the Devils, while the Penguins are much improved and could arguably be better than the Devils.
New Jersey should still have a solid defensive group that ranks close to the top 10 of the NHL. But it may be a work in progress after losing some key contributors and replacing them with some young and talented but inexperienced players in Hughes and Bahl.