Is New Jersey the front runner for Hamilton?
NHL Watcher: Elliotte Friedman on his 31 Thoughts Podcast on Dougie Hamilton: “From what I understand, Carolina’s target area, at least at the beginning for (Dougie) Hamilton was Torey Krug, which is 7-years, $45.5M… I don’t think that’s going to do it and I think the one team we are all kind of looking at is New Jersey.”
NHL Watcher: Friedman continued: “Chicago is out of the picture, Philly is out of the picture, I don’t think that’s what Seattle wants to do, i think they had some interest. I think some other teams like Montreal and Toronto have asked around seeing if there was something creative they can do.”
NHL Watcher: Friedman continued: “The one place I really looked at that stands out to me is New Jersey. I think New Jersey wants to make a splash, I do. I’m watching that Luke Hughes reaction, that’s worth something to that franchise.”
Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Have been told that the New Jersey Devils have interest in defenseman Dougie Hamilton and he apparently has some interest in them.
It could take a seven-year deal at $63 million, a $9 million salary cap.
That would basically replace P.K. Subban‘s deal that expires at the end of the season.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell on pending UFA Dougie Hamilton.
“We’ve had conversations with (Hamilton’s agent) J.P. Barry about Dougie,” said Waddell. “He has said all along, ‘Let’s get through the draft.’ We’re going to talk more today about where this is going, where this is headed. He has a pretty good idea about what the market is at this point. So, our goal still is to bring Dougie back. Again, we’re not trying to save money, we’re a cap team; we want to put the best team on the ice that we can. So the AAV is important to us.”
Hamilton is believed to be looking for something between $8 and $9 million per season.
The New Jersey Devils will likely be one of the teams interested in Hamilton if he gets to the open market and they are likely able to offer him more money than the Hurricanes.
If the Hurricanes lose out on Hamilton, and if Tyson Barrie doesn’t re-sign with the Edmonton Oilers, Barrie could be a fallback option for the Hurricanes.