March 7th may have once seemed so far away, but the NHL Trade Deadline is fast approaching. And with New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton receiving a fine in January — let's take a look at whether it makes sense to shop the Canadian.
Hamilton was fined $2,000 on Jan. 1st as supplementary discipline under NHL Rule 64 (Diving/Embellishment). The 31-year-old was fined as this was his second citation — issued as a result of an incident at 9:12 of the second period against the New York Rangers on Dec. 23. While this was unfortunate for the Devils, trading him after this is a bit extreme.
Because — to be honest — Hamilton brings too much to the roster to be traded.
Of course, there's more to this story than one fine. It's not going to really hurt his bank account too much, and that's part of the reason why the "trade Dougie Hamilton" conversation is happening in the first place. He joined the Devils in July of 2021 and then signed a seven-year, $63 million contract ($9 million average annual value). This was after three productive seasons for the Carolina Hurricanes including 2020-21, when he finished fourth in voting for the Norris Trophy.
That $9 million salary cap hit is the highest on the team. He has a higher cap hit than Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and the rest of the Devils' young stars.
Hamilton's shot and chance generation has not declined at all. It is likely for this reason that he reached his 800th NHL career game before he turned 32 years old. He's also recently heated up in the offensive zone, notching points in four of his last five games (two goals, four assists) for the Devils.
Dougie Hamilton doesn't need to be trade bait despite his contract
He remains one of the more reliable options in the New Jersey lineup, notching 35 points (eight goals, 27 assists) in 54 games so far this season.
Flashing back to 2022-23 — the 6-foot-3 player took his game to new heights for the New Jersey Devils, scoring 22 goals to tie Barry Beck's single-season record (1977-78) for most by a defenseman in a season in Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts history.
Hamilton currently has a +/- of +6 and is currently in the top five skaters on the roster. This is a result of his 35 points across eight goals and 27 assists. He is a major factor in team success. Therefore, shopping him not only wouldn't make sense but what be a disservice to the team.