Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

While the NHL season is currently on a freeze for the Winter Olympics, teams across the league are gearing up for the trade market to open back up. Right now, teams can’t make any deals, but once the season resumes, there will only be a few weeks left until the NHL trade deadline expires.

This will be the final chance for teams to either beef up their rosters for the postseason or for organizations to sell off assets that aren’t going to be part of the future plans. Many insiders expect there to be a lot of action taking place across the NHL, with some trade rumors coming back up from the summertime.

One of those could involve veteran defenseman Dougie Hamilton, whom the New Jersey Devils have been discussing in deals for months. Hamilton does have a 10-team no-trade list, but the Devils should be able to figure something out with him for the future.

The veteran still has three more years left on his current contract, being scheduled to make $9 million each season. Most teams can’t simply, just absorb this type of money, so the Devils may need to retain some salary in a potential deal.

2025 hasn’t gotten off to the start that Hamilton would have liked, and it could see his trade value decrease. Overall, he has scored just seven goals with 14 assists, playing in 52 games for New Jersey this year.

Last season with the Devils, Hamilton put up nine goals and had 31 assists over 64 games played in the regular season. There is hope that a change of scenery could see his numbers jump back up, and any team that would trade for him would be banking on this idea.

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Dougie Hamilton Traded to Toronto Maple Leafs

If the Devils do decide to move on from Hamilton at the trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs could emerge as a landing spot. 2025 hasn’t exactly gone the way that Toronto would have hoped, but there is still some hope for the future.

After losing star Mitch Marner in the offseason, the Maple Leafs have been retooling the roster, and remaking the defense remains a main priority. Toronto needs someone who can “quarterback” the defensive unit, adding more of a playmaking element to the group, and Hamilton fits this to a tee.

While the veteran hasn’t put together the best season so far, he is a big-shot defenseman who gets his teammates strong shot attempts. Hamilton could be just what this team has been missing, and he could slide right in to take over the unit.

Due to his high salary, this would likely be a cap dump from the Devils, and Toronto could benefit from it. The Maple Leafs don’t have a ton of tradable picks or high-end prospects to send to New Jersey, but getting off his contract may be worth it for the Devils.

Toronto may need to take a bolder approach to team-building, and adding the star talent of Hamilton could be the first move in this direction. Overall, this would be a gamble due to the salary, but the pure upside of the All-Star could be more than worth it for the Maple Leafs to make this happen.

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