The New Jersey Devils are watching their season dwindle away, and one of the first moves that could result from their downfall is trading defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
It could be the beginning of the end between the New Jersey Devils and defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
Johnathan Kovacevic is set to return to the Devils' lineup for their game against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Therefore, New Jersey needs to make space on the back end for him to slot in, and they decided to scratch Hamilton.
The 32-year-old costs $9 million against the salary cap for another two seasons following this campaign. With this healthy scratch, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman hinted that Hamilton's future with New Jersey could be in doubt during his "Saturday Headlines" segment.
He brought up the other details of Hamilton's contract, including a heavily modified no-trade clause. After holding a full no-move clause in the first four years of his deal, his clause changed to a no-move clause with a 10-team trade list.
In fact, Friedman revealed that the Devils had looked to trade Hamilton to the San Jose Sharks in the past off-season, but the player blocked the trade.
Hamilton's agent, J. P. Barry, believes that the decision to scratch Hamilton is a calculated one.
"In our view, this decision is all about business rather than his game right now," Barry said, according to Pierre LeBrun.
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," Barry added.
Dougie Hamilton (John Jones-Imagn Images)Hamilton is in his fifth season with the Devils, the longest tenure he's had with a team in his 14-year career. He has five goals and 10 points this season while averaging 21:41 of ice time.
The Toronto native has been traded twice before. The first instance was from the Boston Bruins to the Calgary Flames, and the second was from the Flames to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Given the reports and circumstances within the Devils right now, it may not be long before he's moved again.
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