Report: Devils' Open to Trade Offers on Dougie Hamilton

After last season you'd think that Dougie Hamilton would have demanded a trade from the New Jersey Devils, but that wasn't the case at all. Now, with a new GM running show in Sunny Mehta, there's been an update on Hamilton's status as a Devil.

Turns out Mehta will listen to any trade offers coming his way on just about anyone on the roster, but has made it very clear already in the early days on the job, he's not necessarily shopping Hamilton, and is really a fan of his game.

Hamilton had a tough season, which even included being scratched, and with New Jersey missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season, there's certainly going to be some roster changes at some point this offseason. Leading into the NHL Draft next month, Mehta is expected to make his first move.

Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin has Hamilton rather high on his current trade board, and had this to say on the two-way d-man's future in New Jersey.

Hamilton will always have his knuckle-draggin’ haters as a player with lackadaisical body language, but he’s perennially a strong play-driving defenseman, and his scoring rebounded massively from January onward with eight goals 31 points in 41 games – a 16-goal, 62-point pace. The Tom Fitzgerald regime was interested in offloading Hamilton’s AAV, but the under-the-hood numbers showed Hamilton had a good all-round year, and the Devils’ analytically minded new GM Sunny Mehta might appreciate Hamilton’s game more.

Hamilton's signed for two more seasons at $9 million AAV and holds a full no-movement clause which changes to a 10-team approved trade list this offseason. There's a ton of speculation that Hamilton prefers to be dealt to the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, or San Jose Sharks.

Keep an eye on Mehta running show in New Jersey now, he's going to crunch the numbers and there's certainly going to be a couple of big trades to shake up the Devils roster for next season.

Photo credit: Bob Lee, Imagn Images