The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the clubs going hard after New Jersey Devils blueliner Dougie Hamilton. That shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the relative desperation to upgrade the lineup in any possible way.
But a new report published by RG Media on January 12 has shed some potentially mind-shocking news on a potential trade between the Devils and Maple Leafs.
In the report, veteran journalist James Murphy tapped into his pool of anonymous sources regarding potential trades involving Hamilton.
The source told Murphy:
“The Devils have been trying to trade him for a while now, but his no-movement clause was obviously holding things up.”
The comments came before Elliotte Friedman’s comments on Saturday Headlines blew the doors off the story. Friedman’s revelations posited that Hamilton nixed a deal with the San Jose Sharks.
However, behind-the-scenes chatter speculates that it was just one of the deals that Hamilton rejected. The story went into overdrive when the Devils scratched Hamilton ahead of their Sunday tilt against the struggling Winnipeg Jets. The Devils dropped the match 4-3.
It’s now patent that Hamilton wants out. And the deal could be down to two teams: The Maple Leafs and the Vegas Golden Knights.
The source stated:
“Both teams are still in the playoff hunt, and he would immediately be part of the top four with all five teams. Besides the Leafs and Knights, look at the cap space the other teams have.”
Other teams believed to be in the running are the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, and Utah Mammoth.
As for the timing, the source revealed:
“That all changed on Saturday because now Hamilton clearly wants out. I’d keep an eye on the Ducks, Leafs, Knights, Red Wings, and Mammoth. I think something happens really soon.”
The turning point was Saturday, when news of Hamilton being healthy-scratched broke. The Devils really don’t want to have Hamilton on their books any longer. The move to scratch him managed to force his hand even further to the point where he will now consider various trade offers.
While Murphy’s source stated that the Maple Leafs were on Hamilton’s no-trade list, it seems that situation has now changed. Hamilton wants to play for a playoff contender that will give him a chance to be a top-four blueliner.
That sounds exactly like the scenario and role Hamilton would find in Toronto.
As for the return, the source didn’t get into that. There are no specifics at the moment on how much it would cost to land Hamilton. But the good news is that the Devils don’t have much leverage in this negotiation.
That’s why the Maple Leafs could end up landing Hamilton for a far lower price than, say, this past summer.