The New Jersey Devils held practice on Saturday before heading back on the road to play the Winnipeg Jets, and the Minnesota Wild will scratch defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
As reported throughout the summer and into early this season, Hamilton has been the subject of trade talks. The Devils have been trying to free up cap space long before Luke Hughes was signed to a new contract extension carrying an $9 million AAV. Funny enough, that is the cap hit Dougie Hamilton signed for in the summer of 2021.
Devils Rumors: How Will New Jersey Handle Dougie Hamilton?
While the Devils valued Hamilton as an important piece to their franchise when they signed him, it is clear they felt a shakeup was needed dating back to the 2025 NHL Draft. Per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, who spoke with his agent J.P. Barry, the Devils are targeting him, and they are trying to continue to make a trade happen.
“Dougie was informed today that he will be not be playing now that Kovacevic is back in the lineup. In our view, this decision is all about business rather than his game right now,” Barry said in a statement. “Singling him out seems very calculated at this stage. Dougie has a 10-team trade list and there have been efforts to trade him going back to the draft last year. We have made it clear to the Devils that we will consider teams outside our list and other creative ways to get to a team that is mutually acceptable.”
As Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada, the Devils and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald have been looking to trade Hamilton since the summer, who won’t play on Sunday in Winnipeg, and there are hard feelings on both sides.
So Dougie Hamilton practiced on the fourth defensive pair on Saturday. The Devils play the Jets on Sunday, and he won’t play. He’s already been informed he will not be in the lineup. The Devils say, Look, we have a lot of extra defensemen, or we have extra defensemen. (Johnathan) Kovacevic is coming back. Somebody has to sit, but Hamilton’s agent, J.P. Barry, feels this is a business decision to try to force Hamilton to accept a trade.
Now, Hamilton did move to a partial no trade clause. This season, he can be traded to only one of 10 teams. The other 21 he can block. And one thing we are aware of is that in the summer, San Jose did try to trade for him, and Hamilton blocked that move. But the fact is that Barry has indicated they will consider discussing some of the teams that Hamilton can block a trade to. But there’s no question right now that the feelings are very hard on both sides. Losing does that. Hamilton’s feeling is that he is being targeted for non performance reasons. Certainly does that.
And with a “healthy” or extra defenseman the Devils talk about is Brett Pesce, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Simon Nemec. This makes Dougie Hamilton the odd man out. Both Sheldon Keefe and Fitzgerald want to see what Kovacevic looks like after returning from major knee surgery. He was injured in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Devils Rumors: How Will New Jersey Handle Dougie Hamilton?
Kovacevic will slot in on the second pairing next to Jonas Siegenthaler, and both Keefe and Fitzgerald believe he will give the team the spark they need.
“As you know, we just put Nemec back in the lineup on Thursday. He’s a young guy who we want getting his game back, where he had been easily our best defensemen before his injury,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Pesce’s play speaks for itself, he isn’t going anywhere. And Kovacevic coming back, gives our roster a spark we are looking for, and he was our best defensive defenseman all of last year. And that’s what we want with our lineup now. This is simply Dougie being the odd-man out with where our right-side is- fully healthy for the first time all year. This is business. Business of our lineup!”
This is a business, and players understand they can be traded. Hamilton was signed as a free agent to join New Jersey as part of the solution. Fitzgerald incentivized his contract with the trade protection. Same for Ondrej Palat. Now the team feels he is not. This could hurt the Devils chances of signing potential free agents, not only this summer but also in the following offseasons.
However, Hamilton hasn’t been the worst defensemen on the Devils. Others have trade protection and aren’t forced to sit. Not to mention, no one knows how Kovacevic will play either. Neither Pesce, Nemec, nor Kovacevic went to the AHL for a conditioning stint following their injuries. So, to claim a healthy lineup is false.
Devils Rumors: Dougie Hamilton Will Remain with the New Jersey Devils For At Least The Season
There are options on the table. However, one option that isn’t a contract termination is a contract termination. Hamilton still has one more signing bonus due to him at $7.4 million on July 1st, 2026, as Friedman continued on Saturday Headlines.
“The one thing I can tell you is people were wondering today if he would terminate his contract. He’s got two years left after this year at about $13.6 million,” Friedman added. “I’m told the answer to that is no. Hamilton’s due $8.4 million next year, including a $7.4 million bonus in the summer. That I understand is not on the table. So we’ll see if everybody can work together here to get something done.”
As J.P. Barry told DevilsNation.com, “It is their (Devils) choice to sit him, but hopefully trade talks can accelerate.”
The New Jersey Devils Should Not Trade Dougie Hamilton Just to Clear Cap Space
The New Jersey Devils are forcing him to waive his no-trade clause by sitting him out. While the option of not filing a grievance with the NHLPA isn’t on the table right now, it could be. Fitzgerald has created a toxic environment in the locker room by putting all his eggs in the Quinn Hughes basket and giving the players too much control.
It feels like a trade involving Dougie Hamilton is coming sooner rather than later.
