Hamilton trade talk expected to continue — The Fourth Period
New Jersey Devils defenceman Dougie Hamilton is no stranger to trade speculation; it’s followed him for a good chunk of his career.
The 32-year-old is in the fifth year of a seven-year, $63 million contract and owns a 10-team trade list as part of his no-movement clause.
As the Devils tried to acquire superstar blueliner Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks last week, reports surfaced that GM Tom Fitzgerald was also trying to move Hamilton and his $9 million cap hit to another team, but was unable to do so.
Hamilton’s name reemerged in trade chatter last season and again in the off-season, and as TFP’s David Pagnotta reported last month on the DFO Rundown Insider Edition, the veteran’s name started to pop up again at the start of this season.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Devils had “at least one – and possibly two – vetoed trades” and added he has “my suspicions, but no proof.”
“I suspect that if they want to move Dougie Hamilton, it will have to be to one of the 10 teams on his list. If not, forget it,” Friedman wrote in Friday’s edition of 32 Thoughts. “This chapter of the book is not over, however. At the very least, they continue to investigate options to move money when the time comes.”
Hamilton is owed a total salary of $1 million over the course of this season after his $10.55 million bonus was paid out, but he is due another $7.4 million bonus next season, to go along with a $1 million salary. He is then due $5.25 million in salary in the final year of his contract, which carries no bonus payments.
It is unclear which teams are on his trade list, but it seems unlikely that Hamilton will approve a trade to another club that is not on his list.
Still, trade talks are expected to continue later this season – the NHL is currently in its holiday roster freeze, which lifts at 12:01am on Dec. 28.
In 31 games with the Devils so far this season, Hamilton has registered four goals and four assists for eight points, and 24 penalty minutes.
