New Jersey Devils Have No Plans to Trade Dougie Hamilton
Dougie Hamilton Trade Talk is Just Talk If You Can Call It That
There are several reports out there during the silly season that the New Jersey Devils have been getting calls about defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Most recently, Hamilton's name has been mentioned in talks on RG Media, as well as on the 32 Thoughts Podcast with Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet, as teams have called the Devils about him.
"The next biggest question for the Devils is Dougie Hamilton. He went from a full no-move clause to a partial no-trade. I'm just curious here to see what happens. They paid him as bonus on July 1," Friedman said. "I don't have a great feel for it in terms of percentage chances that anything occurs with him, but I know that his name was kind of out there a little bit. And I had heard they've been talking to a couple of teams. So we'll see where that goes."
But as Full Press Hockey reported on Tuesday, these “trade talks” are just that: talks. Nothing is in the works or has even been discussed regarding Hamilton.
"His no-trade list is submitted, which is standard practice. As far as trade talks go, there are none," a source told Full Press Hockey.
Things have been heating up surrounding the Devils and Dougie Hamilton because of the extension defenseman Luke Hughes needs. The Devils have a little over $6 million in cap space, but they need more to get everyone under the $95.5 million salary cap next season.
With the Devils needing to clear cap space, three names are out on the forefront: Ondrej Palat, Dawson Mercer, and Hamilton. With Hamilton carrying a salary cap hit of $9 million over the next three seasons, the Devils want to position themselves for a big move in the future.
The only problem is that the Devils need to win now. And to win now, they need to keep Dougie Hamilton on the roster. Sacrificing an area strength for a goal scorer and having to rely on young defenseman to play bigger roles is not a recipe for success.
Just look what happened during the 2024-25 season when the Devils lost Damon Severson and Ryan Graves. Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald relied on a goalie duo that was exposed by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and asked players to punch above their weight class.
New Jersey got away from what made them good, which was playing defence. With two veterans out of the lineup during that season, New Jersey relied on John Marino (now in Utah), Brendan Smith, Colin Miller, a rookie in Luke Hughes, and Simon Nemec to anchor the backend along with Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler.
Around Full Press Media
Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto Maple Leafs Management Finally Won Contract Negotiations
Vancouver Canucks: What Are the Vancouver Canucks Doing?
Detroit Red Wings: Steve Yzerman Feeling the Heat in Detroit
Florida Panthers: Panthers GM Bill Zito is the Best in the World
PODCAST: Mitch Marner Traded and Toronto Maple Leafs Win Negotiations
WANT MORE PODCASTS? Bill Zito Kept the Florida Panthers Band Together
The result is the Devils missing the playoffs, as several players experienced a regression. That is a factor that nobody is talking about if the Devils were to trade Hamilton.
The results would be similar if the Devils were to trade Hamilton, which they are not; however, if they were, you would now be asking Nemec, Seamus Casey, and Brett Pesce to do more than they were supposed to be doing.
Not to mention, Johnathan Kovacevic is out of the lineup until at least January after having knee surgery. And nobody knows what type of game shape Kovacevic will be in when he returns. While he was signed to a five-year extension worth $4 million, that does not mean Dougie Hamilton became expendable.
When teams have been discussing trades with the Devils, they are considering Nemec or Casey as part of the return package. Again, why would the Devils get rid of a 50-60 point player that plays in all situations, including averaging about 20 power play points? It doesn’t make any sense.
This is similar to what the St. Louis Blues are currently going through with Jordan Kyrou. The Blues don’t want to trade him unless there is an offer they can’t refuse. Why would a team want to give up on a consistent 30-goal scorer?
As with the talk surrounding the Devils and Hamilton. Why would New Jersey want to trade a top-pair right-shot defenseman? It does not make New Jersey better unless something of equal value is coming back in return. And that value is not out there. Not to keep the Devils as the second-best defensive team in the NHL.
There is only one team that has that value and it is the Vancouver Canucks. If the Devils want to get Quinn Hughes, whom they have been linked to every since Canucks President Jim Rutherford stated that Quinn Hughes wants to play with his brothers, swapping Hamilton for Hughes makes sense. But Hamilton would have to want to go to Vancouver.
Hamilton has control over where he goes. His full no-movement clause kicked over to a 10-team no trade list on July 1. Plus, Hamilton was paid a bonus of $10.55 million this past July 1 and is owed a little over $7 million next year on July 1 in signing bonus money.
So Hamilton has to agree to be traded if it is a team on his no-trade list. And Vancouver might be on that list. So it might take some work and convincing for Hamilton to accept that deal because he came to New Jersey as a free agent looking to help build a winner.
Plus, how many teams can realistically tank on his full contract without help? There aren’t that many, if at all. There are not many options available to the Devils, even if Hamilton were on the table, which he is not.
As TSN’s Director of Scouting, Craig Button, has said on numerous occasions, “There is no 7/11 hockey store where you can get a top-four right shot defenseman or a top-six forward. That place does not exist.”
Why would the Devils want to make their team weaker as they look to get back to the playoffs for the second year in a row? They shouldn’t want to, because the orders are to win as the temperature rises for the general manager in New Jersey.
That is why these Dougie Hamilton trade talks are just talks. However, they are more like whispers or one-way conversations.
The New Jersey Devils are keeping Dougie Hamilton unless they get a blowaway offer to move him. However, the current plan is to keep him. So expect to see Dougie Hamilton on the Devils roster come opening night.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s new, and we’re just getting started. Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league.