Con #2: What part of the rumors are true?
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? Not necessarily, especially when it comes to rumors about famous people. However, that hasn’t stopped the Boston Bruins fans from absolutely hating Hamilton every time he’s returned to New England. The Bruins drafted Hamilton, but they eventually traded him so they could get a 2015 1st-round pick that they wouldn’t use to draft Mathew Barzal.
So, where is there truth, and what is pure fiction? There’s the rumor about his brother Freddie and Hamilton “demanding” whatever team he was on also getting his brother. We’ll see how much the Devils care about brothers when they use their fourth-overall pick at this year’s NHL Draft. Anyway, this Elliotte Friedman piece right after Hamilton was traded to the Hurricanes shows he does have some demands, but most of them seem to deal with his confidence in his on-ice play. If he signs with the Devils, he never has to worry about falling off the top line.
Looking at both of Hamilton’s trades, it’s not like he got traded for pennies. In one trade, the Flames gave up three picks to get him. When he went to Carolina, the Canes gave up Noah Hanifin, who was the top defenseman in his draft, and Elias Lindholm, who was a really good NHL player at the time. Now, the Flames also gave up Adam Fox, but that’s neither here nor there.
The main thing here is keeping Hamilton happy. Is he happy getting the biggest paycheck, or is it more than that? He hasn’t missed the playoffs since he was traded to the Hurricanes. Would being on the bubble bother him? Would he expect more? It’s hard to tell how he would gel, especially since this team is so young. However, he has a unique opportunity with the Devils. He could come in as the veteran voice behind Subban. That might be what he wanted all along.