If the New Jersey Devils are unable to move on from either Dougie Hamilton or Ondrej Palat this summer, the reasonable number of ways in which they can create more cap space for themselves will get significantly smaller.
Hamilton, 32, clearly has the most trade value and is the better player, but he's also the most expensive with a $9 million cap hit. And he's missed at least 18 games in three of his four seasons with the Devils thus far.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli recently indicated in a stream for Bleacher Report that the Devils considered trading the affable star defenseman, but the market for him, to this point, hasn't really been there.
As a result, the Devils will be forced to consider trying other options into the dog days of the 2025 offseason.
"I think they kind of had a flirtation at some point this summer with moving Dougie Hamilton. I think if you look at their cap structure, that, at some point, that cap number is a little out of wack compared to the relative value of what Dougie Hamilton brings to the lineup," Seravalli said during a segment for B/R Open Ice.
"And, so with that, probably have explored some different opportunities or options. And we talked about, earlier, too, the idea of how flush the defense market was. I don't know that teams are necessarily lining up to get Dougie Hamilton off your hands at that cap hit. And, with that, the New Jersey Devils are going to have to make some different decisions as well."
It should be noted, too, that, while Hamilton's previous full no-move clause in his contract has expired, he still submits a 10-team trade list to the Devils. This differs from the standard no-trade list in that Hamilton chooses 10 teams he can be traded to, not 10 teams he can't be traded to.
The 6-foot-6 rearguard, could, of course, choose to waive and approve a deal to one of the teams not on his list, but the list is there for a reason. The same is true for Palat, too.
When it comes to making enough cap space to sign Luke Hughes to a massive contract extension, the Devils can still get to the $8 million AAV mark without trading anybody.
To do that, though, the Devils would have to send Kurtis MacDermid and Thomas Bordeleau to the AHL, leaving them with one extra healthy body until Johnathan Kovacevic is ready to return from his season-ending knee injury.
That's not exactly the position you want to be in, to be clear, but it's workable, and the Devils may not have a better choice at this moment in time.
For all intents and purposes, it appears Hamilton will remain a Devils player for at least one more season.