The New Jersey Devils are in rough shape. After losing to the worst team in the league, the Quinn Hughes-less Vancouver Canucks, the thought is that this team is desperate to add to the roster. Just about everyone is injured or missing from the lineup. It’s highlighted by Jack Hughes, who is on the other side of halfway through his original injury timeline. He should be back in three to four weeks, but the Devils are hanging on by a thread in his absence.
Without Hughes, the Devils have fallen from the top of the Metropolitan Division to the bottom. They are still just seven points from the top of the division and four points from second place. The Metropolitan has been insane this season, but the Devils aren’t out of the conversation by a long shot. They are one point out of a playoff spot.
Still, everyone is begging GM Tom Fitzgerald to make a move. Unfortunately, the Devils are over the salary cap right now. When they signed Luke Hughes to his new deal, paying him $9 million per season, it pushed them a little more than $4 million over the cap. They already have to move money just to be compliant with their current roster, barring any season-ending injuries.
The Devils have been trying to move money. Just about everyone is expecting that to be the case, but the two most likely candidates to move are reportedly making it hard. While not mentioned by name, Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat are the two most obvious options.
Palat is signed for one more year after this one with a $6 million cap hit. He had a full no-trade clause until this season, when it dropped to a 10-team trade clause. Palat can still block trades to 22 teams, and he reportedly really likes playing in New Jersey, so we don’t expect him to leave easily.
As for Hamilton, his contract pays him an average of $9 million for two more seasons after this one. The actual cash of the Hamilton contract is much less than $9 million for the next 2+ seasons. This year, his salary is just $1 million. However, he has the same 10-team trade clause at Palat.
Fans should not be upset with Dougie Hamilton or Ondrej Palat
Teams will be okay taking on these contracts, but the players don’t seem to be looking to make those moves. Both these players chose New Jersey. They chose to play under the leadership of Fitzgerald, signing with them in free agency. They both likely had other deals on the table and chose to come play for the Devils.
Fans should not be upset with Hamilton or Palat for wanting to play in New Jersey. Living in New Jersey is awesome. They rightfully negotiated these clauses for a reason, and it’s their right to uphold them. If we want to blame Fitzgerald for giving them out like candy, that’s more than fair, but it’s not up to the player to let a team decide when it wants to uphold the clauses of a contract.