The New Jersey Devils have seemingly faded into the background of NHL trade chatter. After ticking off the biggest item on his to-do list, Tom Fitzgerald might be ready to take a quick vacation during the Olympics.
Moving Ondrej Palat was a huge priority. He got something from the Islanders, even if he had to throw in a couple of draft picks just to get the deal done.
The other pressing matter before the Devils was moving Dougie Hamilton. That situation also seemingly went to the back burner amid Luke Hughes’ unexpected injury. But then again, that might not be quite the case.
According to insider David Pagnotta, the Devils might not be quite done shopping Hamilton. During an appearance on Daily Faceoff Live on January 28, Pagnotta pointed towards the possibility of the Devils still making a push to trade Pagnotta this season:
“Yes, things may have cooled down a little bit with respect to Dougie Hamilton after Luke Hughes has been knocked out, but I'm not sure that they're just going to say ‘nah, forget about it, we're going to hold onto him 'til the summer.’”
The thought has been that Hughes’ injury means the Devils actually need Hamilton in the lineup. While that much is true, it doesn’t apparently preclude the possibility of the Devils trading Hamilton. The best-guess situation here would be that, if New Jersey gets a good offer for Hamilton, and Hamilton is willing to waive his no-trade clause, the move will happen.
It might seem far-fetched at this point. But as has become the prevailing wisdom, one phone call can change everything.
Relationship between Hamilton and Devils may be irreparable
Another thought that comes to mind is how fractured the relationship between Hamilton and the Devils must be. After all, the club has been actively trying to trade him. They scratched him for the same purpose. Despite evidently needing him, the chatter still rings that the club wants to trade him.
Last summer, the Devils tried to trade him, but he nixed the deal. That’s why it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume the relationship between both parties might not be at its best. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it make sense for both sides to resolve the situation as soon as possible?
Let’s put it this way: It’s like being at a job you hate at a company that doesn’t want you. The company doesn’t fire you because no one else can do your job, and you won’t leave because you need the paycheck.
There are only two ways about it. It’s either a matter of working things out or moving on. Unlike the traditional corporate marketplace, NHL teams can send their players to another team.
That seems to be the inevitable outcome. Whether the Devils find a trade partner is another story. But judging from what happened in the Palat trade, moving Hamilton might just be possible.