How Bear and DeAngelo have mitigated the loss of Dougie Hamilton

 

Around hockey circles, there was legitimate concern about how Carolina was going to replace the star defenseman, Dougie Hamilton. It is safe to say that Carolina has done that with Ethan Bear and Tony DeAngelo up to this point.

No disrespect to Dougie Hamilton as a player; Hamilton is fantastic with the puck on his stick. And he will be a big asset for New Jersey’s road to becoming a good team. But having Tony DeAngelo and Ethan Bear in replacement on the right side is as good or even better than having Hamilton, especially because the depth on the right side is better than last season, thanks to DeAngelo and Bear. 

Through 7 games, Ethan Bear has played an average of 18:26. Without any power-play time, Bear has produced 3 assists while playing in a shutdown role with Slavin. He is a +6 so far, and he has allowed Slavin (6 assists) to be more aggressive on offense. The two have combined for 9 assists in 7 games as a shutdown pairing. Needless to say, Bear has done a fantastic job in his role up to this point of the season. 

The Slavin-Bear pairing has played 89.5 minutes 5 on 5. Through those minutes, the pairing has produced a 54.7 Expected Goals percentage, and a 53.3 Corsi (shot attempts for) percentage (Via MoneyPuck.com). Both of these numbers are above average while playing against the top lines of every team in most shifts. 

Dougie Hamilton is indisputably a better player than Ethan Bear in this role. In 2020-2021 Slavin-Hamilton had a 57.9 expected goal percentage and a 56.2 Corsi percentage  (Via MoneyPuck.com). However, Bear has still been very effective in this role next to Slavin. Bear has also allowed Slavin to be more aggressive on offense. This is a stark contrast compared to the ultra-aggressive Hamilton, who was bailed out defensively at times by Slavin in 20-21. Bear has also matched Dougie Hamilton’s even-strength production from last season.

21-22 Bear: .43 ES points per game

20-21 Hamilton: .44 ES points per game

Hamilton had a high impact on the Carolina power play that scored at a 25.61% rate in 20-21. Bear does not play on the power play in Hamilton’s spot, but Tony DeAngelo does.

Through 7 games, DeAngelo has 5 power-play points and 8 total points, and 5 on 5 he has held his own next to partner Ian Cole, providing a 47.4 expected goals percentage, and a 53 Corsi percentage (Via MoneyPuck.com). 

DeAngelo’s biggest impact so far has been on the power play. He is playing in Hamilton's former spot on the 1st power-play unit, and DeAngelo is currently scoring at a higher rate than Hamilton did. 

21-22 DeAngelo: 9.93 PP points per 60

20-21 Hamilton: 6.35 PP points per 60

(Via MoneyPuck.com)

Carolina’s power-play overall is also at a higher level compared to last season

21-22 Carolina: 29.63 Power Play %

20-21 Carolina: 25.61 Power Play %

This is not to say DeAngelo is a better overall player than Hamilton, but Carolina’s power play has seen no fall-off from last season with DeAngelo as its quarterback.

The biggest positive for this season is the cap space provided by having Bear and DeAngelo compared to Hamilton. Both Bear and DeAngelo expire after this season, but they have a combined cap hit of 3 million this season. 6 million dollars less than Hamilton’s cap hit this season. That 6 million is a big asset for Carolina, and the on-ice performance Hamilton provided in recent years has been matched by Bear and DeAngelo so far. Another positive with having Bear and DeAngelo is that both of them are RFA’s after this season. That means that Carolina has exclusive rights to both players after this season (barring an offer sheet).

Dougie Hamilton is one of the best defensemen in the NHL, but Ethan Bear and Tony DeAngelo have both played great in Hamilton’s former roles. Bear as a top-pairing defenseman and DeAngelo as the power-play quarterback. The only question now is whether or not Bear and DeAngelo can continue their high level of play. 

I would bet on the two continuing this level of play all season long