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If the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to trade for Dougie Hamilton they are going to be asking for something that might tip the scales though not in their favor.
With a lot of discussion about who the Maple Leafs would trade for this season, it’s really become a who’s who of trade candidates that ranged from ludicrously expensive to a bargain basement-deal.
Though the one name that stands above the rest has to be New Jersey’s Dougie Hamilton. Not only has he been a name closely linked to the Maple Leafs but he really seems like the perfect fit for a team needing both an offensive and defensive jolt.
The one thing holding back a Maple Leafs trade for Dougie Hamilton
However, according to a new report — they are very unlikely to get that.
A new report from The Athletic’s James Mirtle touched on the Hamilton and Toronto partnership and explained that if the Maple Leafs want to get a deal done there’s a potential death knell that can squash talks entirely:
My understanding is the Leafs would want a high level of retention to get this deal done; potentially up to 50 percent – and that very well could be what kills a trade.
It makes a lot of sense considering that Hamilton comes at a cap hit of $9-million and there is no way Toronto can afford that even with cap relief from injuries and trading away some deals.
Toronto can’t afford Dougie Hamilton no matter how much they want him
So that means that unless they completely blow away GM Tom Fitzgerald, then there is a really rocky and difficult path to navigate if the team wants to get something done.
Elliotte Friedman noted that as well during his recent Saturday’s Headlines segment and explained that the Devils will still take a blockbuster offer for Hamilton but things have cooled slightly:
This latest outburst pushed Hamilton’s point total to 18 in 47 games, a much more respectable number than he had two weeks ago and if anything, has raised his price and stock considerably.
Toronto does not have any real assets to move, and they aren’t going to strip their entire team for the sake of one player — they can’t afford to at all.
So it’ll be a shifting of the gears for Brad Treliving as he will look towards cheaper options on the market. At this rate it feels almost inevitable that Schenn will make his third journey to Toronto in his career, because it’s really all they can pay for.
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