Inside the Devils’ Bold Dougie Hamilton Trade Plan That Could Shake Up the NHL</assistant

When it comes to shaking up the New Jersey Devils’ roster, the spotlight is squarely on Dougie Hamilton. The team is clearly looking to clear some serious cap space, but here’s the kicker—they’re not just dumping Hamilton to cut payroll. Nope, according to Dave Pagnotta from The Fourth Period, the Devils are aiming to pull off a trade that genuinely makes sense for their future, not just a quick fix. Hamilton might be having an off year and carries a hefty $9 million cap hit, but he still holds value as a solid top-four defenseman. With multiple teams, including Toronto, Carolina, and Utah, poking around, the chess match is on—but financial practicality seems to be the biggest hurdle. The Devils want a move that’s beneficial, not desperate, which makes this situation one to watch closely as the trade talks evolve. LEARN MORE

The Devils Will Trade Hamilton in the Right Deal

Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period joined Daily Faceoff Live with Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton and discussed where things stand with Dougie Hamilton and the New Jersey Devils. While the Devils want to move him and clear cap space, Pagnotta says they want to make a trade that makes sense for them.

NHLRumors.com Transcriptions

NHL Rumors: The Intrigue of the New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks

Host: “Dave, any rumors on Dougie Hamilton or the New Jersey Devils? I know you guys had a story up at The Fourth Period about Hamilton and the Leafs, but what’s the latest on Dougie Hamilton and what the Devils are trying to do to save their season?”

Dave Pagnotta: “Yeah? Well, I mean, so the conversations continue with New Jersey. They’re trying to make this happen. They’re going to have to retain on that contract, or take back money. Like significant money. Like this isn’t a scenario where New Jersey is going to free themselves up of the full $9 million, but they’re trying to see how much cap space they can create, and how can they make a deal that benefits them?

Because they just don’t want to get rid of Dougie Hamilton. This isn’t a scenario where this guy is complete junk and he’s having a bad season, but they just don’t want to deal with him anymore. There’s still value in this player. He’s still a second pair top four type, right D kind of guy, and there’s value there.

NHL Rumors: Dougie Hamilton and Marc-André Fleury Buzz

Now, obviously, down season, and the $9 million cap hit affects it, plus the fact that he’s got, I think, it’s a $7.4 million bonus being paid July 1, then it’s a $1 million dollars for the rest of the season, and then the last year of his contract is just straight salary. I think it’s just over 5.6, something like that. So the overall money does drop, but they want to make stuff happen here in terms of freeing up a little bit of cap space and also making a move that makes sense for them.

Now, yeah, Toronto has poked around. Carolina has poked around a little bit. I think Utah has. A couple of other teams as well kind of part of this mix. Still, I don’t see a pathway for Toronto, because I don’t think financially, they can make it work, even if they eat the Devils eat half, which I don’t think they want to do. I think they’re willing to eat a little bit. I just don’t see a scenario where that’s a fit for Toronto.

NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils Wants Assets Back in a Dougie Hamilton Trade

Toronto is actively looking for a right shot D, and that’s the priority right now. There was some talking them also looking. And I think if somebody falls into their lap for within their top six, they’d go for it. But the priority for Toronto right now is trying to bring in a right-shot defenseman.

But I just don’t see Dougie Hamilton being realistic right now, unless we’re talking about a much larger trade, but I don’t get the sense at the moment. Utah is a curious one for me. They’re not afraid to take some swings here. They’re not afraid to spend money. And they’ve been looking for somebody of his ilk to bring in to Salt Lake City. But again, it’s got to work financially.

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