The San Jose Sharks have shown some major promise this season. They have fallen off a bit from their highs earlier in the year. However, they entered the NHL’s Olympic break sitting just five points out of the West’s final Wild Card spot. The Sharks have a chance to make some noise coming out of the Olympics at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
What general manager Mike Grier elects to do certainly remains to be seen. However, the Sharks have an obvious trade candidate this season. And it’s a player the team attempted to acquire during the summer before the puck dropped on the 2025-26 campaign.
The Sharks attempted to make a trade for defenseman Dougie Hamilton in the summer, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. At the time, Hamilton exercised his no-trade clause and blocked the deal. As a result, he remained with the New Jersey Devils to begin the 2025-26 NHL season.
Now, the tables have flipped. The Devils are outside of the Stanley Cup Playoff race, and are further from a playoff spot despite having more points than the Sharks. San Jose still has a need for a top-pairing defenseman. And the Devils are trying their best to trade Hamilton sooner rather than later.
There is certainly still a possibility Hamilton blocks a trade to the Sharks again. However, San Jose should make another run at this once again. Here are a couple reasons the Sharks must try to pry Dougie Hamilton away from the New Jersey Devils before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
Dougie Hamilton can run San Jose’s defense
James Guillory-Imagn Images
The Devils are looking to trade Hamilton for a few reasons. However, his production on the ice isn’t one of them. Though his offense is a bit down this year, he has consistently scored in the 40-50 point range throughout his career. And it wasn’t long ago that he scored 22 goals and 77 points for the Devils as they made the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Hamilton is also a contributor on the defensive end. In all situations, he owns the second-best Goals Against Per 60 Minutes among New Jersey defensemen, according to Evolving Hockey. He has also allowed the second-lowest Corsi against per 60 minutes among Devils defenders.
These numbers aren’t aided by special teams, either. Hamilton is a strong asset at 5v5. He still owns the second-best Goals Against Per 60 at 5v5, and he is one of three Devils defenders with an expected Goals For Percentage north of 50%. No matter the situation, Hamilton can be trusted.
The Sharks need a player like this leading their blueline. He can be an invaluable asset for some of the young defensemen on the roster and coming through the ranks in San Jose’s pipelines. And he can be a stabilizing presence for young goaltender Yaroslav Askarov.
San Jose has the picks, prospects, and cap space to make this work. In fact, there is a chance they could make this work without truly mortgaging their future. He fits their team, and the chance to compete for the postseason could appeal to Hamilton around the NHL Trade Deadline.
Sharks can gain ground in wide-open West
Hamilton fits the Sharks in terms of need. However, being outside of the playoff race makes things a bit complicated. Should the Sharks give up future assets when their playoff qualification is far from a guarantee? In this instance, the Sharks should absolutely pull the trigger here.
The Sharks are playing in a rather wide-open conference. The West is extremely top-heavy, with the Stanley Cup contenders having already separated themselves. However, outside of the top contenders, there is a lot of room for a team in the West to jump up and make noise.
The Sharks have proven they can play good hockey this season. Macklin Celebrini has emerged as a true superstar in this league. He is a genuine Hart Trophy candidate. And the Sharks should do what they can to get him into the playoffs.
The issue is that he can’t do this alone. Celebrini is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here for San Jose. He entered the Olympic break with 81 points on the season. The next closest point scorer for the Sharks? Will Smith with 39 points.
Hamilton may not close that point gap. But his ability to move the puck and distribute could give other players a chance to score more. If the forwards around Celebrini can start scoring, this Sharks team could be very dangerous.
Trading for Hamilton would help the Sharks gain ground in the West. It would also give them a player who can contribute for multiple seasons, as he isn’t a free agent until 2028. This would be a home run move to set the Sharks up to contend for a couple of seasons beyond the 2025-26 NHL season.