Even though the Detroit Red Wings already have Moritz Seider doing all the heavy lifting there, if they’re going to set themselves apart from the rest of the teams in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, adding Dougie Hamilton would do it.
Part of the thinking that goes into where a player of the caliber of Dougie Hamilton should go in a trade, especially when he’s got a list of 10 teams that he’d OK a deal with, is looking at who’s sitting pretty in the standings and who could use a puck-moving right-shot defenseman.
Beyond Seider, the Red Wings are rolling with veterans Travis Hamonic and Jacob Bernard-Docker and rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka on the right side.
There’s room for improvement there.
Adding Hamilton to the Red Wings’ defense, which already has Seider playing elite, Norris-level hockey, would provide them with a proven, outstanding defender and give them the opportunity to be a deeper team on the blue line. Even though they’ve gotten solid play from Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, and role players like Ben Chiarot doing his thing, they could stand to have more help. Hamilton would address that.
The Wings have plenty of cap space to afford him and the players and prospects to make a deal, especially given the lack of leverage the Devils have and the lack of success they’re having on the ice at the moment.