Are the New Jersey Devils pushing Dougie Hamilton to expand his roster?
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on the New Jersey Devils and the Dougie Hamilton situation. You will have good health today. Are they trying to force a trade? You have a merchant list of 10 groups. He blocked an offseason trade with the San Jose Sharks.
Ron McLean: “Well, we have the Vancouver Canucks tonight, but you were talking about New Jersey, and maybe when the Quinn Hughes speculation went up, it was almost like the time when New Jersey started to get a problem. Either way, Dougie Hamilton, who could have been involved in those discussions, is in the hair now.
Friedman: “Yeah. So Dougie Hamilton practiced on the defensive line on Saturday. The Devils play the Jets on Sunday, and he’s not going to play. He’s already been notified that he’s not going to be on the roster.”
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The devils said, Look, we have many more defenders, or we have more defenders. (Johnathan) Kovacevic returns; one must stay. But Hamilton’s agent, JP Barry, sees this as a business decision to try to force Hamilton to accept a trade.
It reached out to Dougie Hamilton’s agent JP Barry. Reply from:
“Dugie was informed today that he will not be playing anymore as Kovacevic is back in the lineup.
this decision is about business not his game right now. Being separated from him seems too big…— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 10, 2026
Now, Hamilton has moved into a partial no-trade clause this season. He can only be traded to one of the 10 teams. Another 21 can block. And one thing we do know is that in the summer, San Jose tried to trade him, and Hamilton blocked that. Now, the way things are going now with the Sharks, maybe they will change their mind. They are one of the best teams in the NHL to watch.
But you know, the truth is that Barry has indicated that they will consider discussing other teams that Hamilton could block a trade from. But there is no question at this point that feelings are very hard on both sides. Losing does that. Hamilton feels he’s being targeted for non-functional reasons, he certainly does.
Reached Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald following JP Barry’s comments.
Fitzgerald:
“As you know, we just brought Nemec back into the lineup on Thursday. He’s a young guy that we want to get his game back, where he was one of our best defenders before his injury.
Pesce’s game…— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 10, 2026
What I can tell you is that people were wondering today if he was going to terminate his contract. He has two years left after this year worth an estimated $13.6 million. I am told the answer to that is no. Hamilton will be paid $8.4 million next year, including a $7.4 million summer bonus. From what I understand it is not on the table. So we’ll see if everyone can work together here to get something done.”
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