Sometimes, the best trades are the ones that are never made, and that certainly seems to be true of the New Jersey Devils and star defenseman Dougie Hamilton early in the 2025-26 season.
Hamilton, 32, emerged as a popular trade candidate over the summer not necessarily due to his play, but due to the reality of the Devils' cap situation.
Luke Hughes was still unsigned at the time, and we all knew that the Devils were (and still are) going to need to make moves to clear cap space for the eventual return of defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic. Hamilton has a $9 million cap hit, and his two biggest seasons of total salary have passed. His full no-move clause was converted to a 10-team trade clause this offseason.
So, despite those circumstances and an eventual age-related decline facing him, the Devils simply stood pat and kept the affable Hamilton around. No panic necessary.
It should be noted that NHL insider Pierre LeBrun felt in September that Hamilton could still be dealt closer to the March 6 NHL trade deadline, which coincides with a potential Kovacevic return. If Simon Nemec continues to play like an NHL defender, that would give the Devils four right-handed defensemen with only three open spots in the lineup. Winners of seven straight, though, that's not something the Devils are thinking about right now.
What they should be thinking about is Hamilton's three-point night to help lift the Devils over the lowly San Jose Sharks on Friday night, and how the 6-foot-6 defenseman is playing about as physically as he ever has in a Devils uniform.
New assistant coach Brad Shaw did well with the Philadelphia Flyers under John Tortorella, helping youngsters like Cam York and Jamie Drysdale to understand what is required of them as defenders at the NHL level. We're already seeing his impact on the Devils.
Hamilton isn't their age anymore, but he's proof enough that, in New Jersey, old dogs can still learn new tricks.
Surprisingly, three of Hamilton's four points this season came against the Sharks, so, while boatloads of points might not come anymore, he's playing a veteran's role about as well as you can ask for while Luke Hughes takes over in the driver's seat as the team's top offensive defenseman. That's what the Devils need on defense more than anything else.