Just two weeks ago, it looked like Dougie Hamilton’s time in New Jersey was all but over. A healthy scratch against the Winnipeg Jets had trade rumors swirling, and his camp was reportedly open to finding a new home. But in the span of a few games - and one key injury - Hamilton has gone from trade bait to a crucial piece of the Devils’ blue line.
The turning point came during Wednesday’s game against the Calgary Flames, when Luke Hughes exited in the second period after logging just 9:31 of ice time. The early belief is that Hughes may have suffered a dislocated shoulder - a troubling development considering he had already undergone shoulder surgery just a few months ago.
With Hughes sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Devils suddenly find themselves leaning heavily on Hamilton, who’s signed through 2028 with a $63 million deal. And according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, that shift in circumstance has effectively hit pause on any trade talks involving the veteran defenseman.
“Dougie Hamilton, the last couple of weeks, has been a big name we’ve all been talking about,” Friedman said during Sportsnet’s Saturday Headlines segment. “Luke Hughes was hurt, and he’s going to be out.
He’s trying to come back without having surgery. So he’s going to be out for a little bit.
And what that has done is brought the Dougie Hamilton derby to a crawl or a standstill.”
That’s not to say a trade is completely off the table. Friedman emphasized that if the Devils were presented with an offer they couldn’t refuse, they’d still consider it. But with Hughes out, Hamilton’s value to New Jersey - both on the ice and in the locker room - has only increased.
And to his credit, Hamilton has responded. Since being scratched against Winnipeg, he’s played in all six of the Devils’ games, helping the team to a 5-1-0 record over that stretch.
He’s not just logging minutes - he’s producing, too, with seven assists and a plus-3 rating in those six games. On the season, Hamilton now has five goals and 17 points, and he’s once again playing like the top-pairing defenseman the Devils expected when they signed him.
Of course, the trade whispers didn’t come out of nowhere. Before the scratch, Hamilton’s agent, J.P.
Barry, made it clear that his client felt the team was trying to push him out. Barry told insider Pierre LeBrun that the Devils had been exploring trade options dating back to the draft, and that Hamilton was willing to consider destinations outside of his 10-team no-trade list to help facilitate a move.
“Dougie has a 10-team trade list, and there have been efforts to trade him going back to the draft last year,” Barry said. “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.”
Several teams were reportedly in the mix, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, and Utah Mammoth. But Hamilton’s $9 million cap hit complicated things - especially for a Devils team that was also trying to create space for a potential blockbuster involving Quinn Hughes, the older brother of Luke and Jack.
That deal never materialized. With the Devils unable to clear the necessary cap room, Quinn Hughes - the Vancouver Canucks captain - was ultimately dealt to the Minnesota Wild. Whether that missed opportunity will come back into play when Quinn hits unrestricted free agency at season’s end remains to be seen, but for now, the focus in New Jersey is on the present.
And right now, that means Dougie Hamilton is staying put - and stepping up.