A series of seemingly unrelated events in Edmonton could have an interesting impact on the New Jersey Devils. While the Darnell Nurse situation has no direct bearing on the Devils, the outcome of that situation could help New Jersey move on from a major contract of its own, Dougie Hamilton.
While the chatter surrounding a Hamilton trade has pretty much died down, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear it pick up again.
The Oilers will be looking to move Nurse, a 31-year-old blueliner with a $9.25 million cap hit. That’s pretty much the same situation the Devils faced with Hamilton this season. Like the Oilers, the Devils found few interested parties in Hamilton, particularly at his $9 million price point.
But if the Oilers manage to move Nurse, that trade could help the Devils move on from Hamilton. The basis of that statement lies in what Edmonton might have to do to make the trade happen.
One of the thoughts is that the Oilers could retain a portion of Nurse’s cap hit. Some pundits believe that if the Oilers can bring the cap hit down from $9.25 million to about $7 million, a deal could get across the finish line.
It’s worth pointing out that Nurse has four years left on his current deal. Hamilton, meanwhile, has two years left on his deal. That situation would make retaining salary on Hamilton much easier.
Of course, this line of thinking all depends on whether there is actually a market for Hamilton.
Could the Devils get any significant return for Dougie Hamilton even with retention?
So, even if the Devils were willing to eat up a chunk of Hamilton’s salary, would that translate into a significant return?
The answer is yes and no.
Let’s go with the “no” response. The Devils might not get much for Hamilton, even with retention, given the still substantial cap hit. Even by getting it down to about $7 million, the most the Devils could realistically get is something like a third-round pick and, say, a mid-tier prospect.
Again, the Devils should keep an eye on the Darnell Nurse situation. If the Oilers can somehow get a solid return for their veteran blueliner, the Devils can turn around and point towards that deal as a comparable.
But the fact remains that the Devils will need to sell low if they want to have a real shot at moving on from Hamilton.
That leads us to the “yes” side of the equation. Given how thin free agency is this summer, teams that need a right-shot defenseman and won’t likely find one beyond Darren Raddysh on the free-agent market could look at Nurse and Hamilton as potential options, cap hits notwithstanding.
That’s where the Devils could profit from trading Hamilton. Again, the Devils could point towards Nurse and the Oilers and use that trade as a yardstick and set that bar as the starting point for any potential trade involving Hamilton.
There’s a caveat to this entire discussion. We’re assuming that the Oilers will trade Nurse relatively quickly. And there is reason to believe that will be the case. Both sides seem eager to put this situation behind them.
So, even if the Devils started shopping Hamilton again today, the likelihood of the Oilers getting a deal done sooner is high. That’s something the Devils will want to keep an eye on as free agency and the summer trade season begin to kick into high gear.
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