It has been a crazy couple of months for the New Jersey Devils and defenseman Dougie Hamilton, especially the last couple of weeks. Hamilton was a healthy scratch two weeks ago against the Winnipeg Jets, and speculation ramped up surrounding his future with the Devils.
NHL Rumors: The Latest on Dougie Hamilton and the New Jersey Devils
The Devils said it was performance-based, while his agent, J.P. Barry, made it clear he was being sat because of his contract, as the team was trying to force him to waive his modified no-trade clause. It was a whirlwind 72-hour period for Hamilton from January 10th through the 12th.
After being a healthy scratch against the Jets, Hamilton returned against the Minnesota Wild on January 12th and made an impact with two assists in a win. Since then, the Devils have rattled off five of six victories with Hamilton having seven assists over that stretch. Hamilton has 17 points (five goals and 12 assists) in 46 games this season.
Many thought he was raising his trade stock, but instead, he was showing the New Jersey Devils he could still play. What complicates matters further is Luke Hughes’s injury. Hughes is on regular LTIR, not season-ending, with a shoulder injury. However, now the Devils need him in the lineup, with arguably one of their better defensemen out.
Devils Rumors: New Jersey To Make Splash But is Dougie Hamilton the Cost?
During the Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman stated that Dougie Hamilton trade talks have slowed down due to Luke Hughes’s injury, but still not impossible with the right offer.
“Yeah, so Dougie Hamilton, last couple of weeks, he’s been the big name, we’ve all been talking about,” Friedman said. “Luke Hughes was injured, and he is going to be out. He’s trying to come back without having surgery, so he’s going to be out for a little bit. And what that has done is brought the Dougie Hamilton Derby to a crawl or a standstill. Now, I don’t think it’s impossible. I think if the Devils, someone came to the Devils with something they couldn’t say no to, they would do it. But at least for the time being, the Devils need him. He’s played very well, so it slowed this down.”
It makes sense that things have slowed down, given the injury. The Devils are still trying to make the playoffs. New Jersey needs him. He is a power-play quarterback again, and the team is playing better, so is Hamilton. Not to mention the complexity of the trade. Not many want to take on $9 million, but the Devils don’t want to retain much, if any, of the deal.
Tom Fitzgerald Wants To Add and Will Trade Futures To Improve the Devils
Plus, Dougie Hamilton is owed $7.4 million on a signing bonus on July 1st. After that, the real cash drops. Not to mention, while he may be willing to go to other teams outside of his 10-team trade list, he would prefer to go to one of those destinations or stay with the Devils.
However, GM Tom Fitzgerald needs cap space to improve the team. Hamilton is one option, with Ondrej Palat at $6 million per season another. Tough decisions are down the pipeline, but given the injuries, does Fitzgerald want to deplete this roster any further, given the goal of making the playoffs?
So the trade talks surrounding the New Jersey Devils and Dougie Hamilton have cooled for now, but it’s worth monitoring.
