The Devils are keeping Brenden Dillon out of the lineup again on Thursday night, repeating the same choice they made in their last game when Johnathan Kovacevic returned and the defenseman wound up on the bench. New Jersey beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 in overtime that night, and the same setup is in place for another game that matters to the Devils’ season shape.
For Dillon, it is a sharp turn for a player who has long been valued inside the room for his edge and presence. But the math behind the decision is hard to ignore. Through the team’s first five games, he posted an expected goal share of 50.8%, and he was the only Devils defenseman below a 55% xGF%. In a lineup built around speed, skill and a healthier blue line, that made him the odd man out even as he remained one of the group’s most physical voices.
The shift also tells you something about how New Jersey is trying to play now. With improved forward depth, three new coaches and a more up-tempo system, the defense is finally fully healthy, and that has given the Devils room to restore pairs instead of forcing them. Declan Chisholm slid back to his natural side and skated with Kovacevic after the return, a change that pushed Dillon further down the depth chart in a game that already showed how little margin there is for passengers.
That is the friction in this call: a beloved locker-room piece who still brings a heavy game is sitting because the numbers have not matched the trust. He was described as the oldest and slowest of the defensemen, and while that kind of label does not decide every night, it matters when the Devils are trying to play faster and cleaner. The body of work through the first five games gave the coaches a reason to choose speed over familiarity.
So the open question is not whether Dillon can still help the Devils. It is how long the club is willing to leave him out while the current pairings are working and the same lineup choice keeps getting repeated. Thursday night should answer at least part of that, because the Devils are not treating this as a one-off.
