New Jersey Wants to Clear Cap Space, But Hamilton May Have to Wait
Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period joined Steve Kouleas and Jason Strudwick on Sirius XM NHL Network on Thursday. He was asked about the New Jersey Devils and their plans for Dougie Hamilton following Luke Hughes’ injury.
Writing for NHLRumors.com
NHL rumors: Dougie Hamilton and New Jersey, and Rasmus Andersson and Boston
Jason Strudwick: “Dougie Hamilton had a bad season. He had some injury problems or appetite, or a strong desire to eat in the NHL, and the belief that he was better than he showed, he had two years left at $9 million in the interest of getting this player for maybe less money, maybe more money back than just taking his money.”
Dave Pagnotta: “I think from the return side of things, like I don’t have, I didn’t get the sense that New Jersey just wanted to get rid of him completely. They want something back. Yeah, they definitely want to free up space. It might be a little different now, with what happened to Luke Hughes, and he’s on LTIR. They want to find out what might happen during his playing time or not.
So there’s a little bit more flexibility now from that side of things, at least this season. Even before that, I didn’t feel like it was just going to take 9 million dollars and run or like, if we can release five, that’s it. They want to release the episode. But they will have to give something back. Again, there is a legacy here. And you’re right, there are teams around the league looking at him as someone who can help their defense.
And that this season, the way he did it was a year that didn’t work for him, and that he can return to it under different conditions, away from distractions. And indeed, the disorder has passed through the summer. I mean, it was talked about in terms of the draft. Apparently there was an improbable deal with San Jose in July that continued into the season, where we started the year in October, and we started hearing his name again. So we hear. Of course you hear.
NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils Want To Make Dougie Hamilton Trade Makes Sense
And that affects the player. So I am saying goodbye to him this year for his current performance because of the distractions he had to face. A change of scenery would probably do him justice. But what kind of player are you? Is it the first pair, on the right side, the second pair, on the right side? Third pair, right side. I think a lot of people look at him in that, in that middle class right now, and that’s still important.”
NHLRumors.com Note: While the New Jersey Devils continue to receive calls from Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes being out of the Olympics makes a big difference for a team trying to make the playoffs. Yes, GM Tom Fitzgerald wants to clear space and add to the clubhouse, but not at the cost of missing the playoffs. He still believes that his team is a playoff team.
NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils Want Assets Returned in Dougie Hamilton Trade
Hamilton’s agent, JP Barry, joined Donnie and Dahli and said he will check with the Devils to see which teams have reached out and what their plans are due to Hughes’ injury.
The Devils are playing better, and Hamilton has six assists since his start. Could the $7.4 million signing bonus make an impact? There are still many moving parts. The Devils want something for Dougie Hamilton. They do not want to weaken their team at this time.
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