The Toronto Maple Leafs are not done adding players to their roster before the start of the 2025-26 regular season. And one player that they could add is an offensively dynamic defenseman that could change the look of the entire blue line.
Down south, the New Jersey Devils are reportedly looking to offload Dougie Hamilton largely because of a somewhat bloated contract that they signed him to as a free agent a few years back. The 32-year-old blueliner has three years left on his contract that carries a $9-million AAV. And with young defensemen like Simon Nemec or Seamus Casey possibly being able to replace a portion of what Hamilton does, but on their rookie contracts, it would make sense to spend that money elsewhere.
And the Maple Leafs are reportedly one team who are interested in taking Hamilton off of New Jersey's hands.
According to RG Media's James Murphy, the Leafs are one of several teams who have poked around to see if they can make it work.
"“Teams are calling on [Hamilton] now,” an NHL executive source told RG media recently. “I heard the Leafs looked into him. They’re looking into multiple options for their blue line, and a lot of them have offensive flair. That’s their strength, so there’s a common thread with their trade targets right now, and Hamilton fits the bill.”"James Murphy, RG Media
The Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, and Utah Mammoth are the other teams listed in the report, who might be willing to take the offensively gifted, right-handed defenseman from the Devils.
For Toronto, though, this would be adding something that is desperately needed. Beyond Morgan Rielly, the Leafs' blue line is fairly one-note. You have your defensemen who can stay stationary, read plays well, block a shot or two, and then break the puck out of their own zone. That's about it. A whole lot of that. Adding Hamilton to the mix would give them something they desperately need and it would solidify the blue line to being an advantage Toronto has over other teams for the first time in years.
A top four of Rielly, Brandon Carlo, Jake McCabe, and Hamilton? That should give them some balance.
It's not like Hamilton has lost a step either. Just last season, in 64 games played, he scored nine goals and 40 points while averaging just 19:51 TOI -- the first time he has averaged fewer than 20 minutes a game since the 2018-19 season. And all of that offense, while maybe not being the most defensively sound blueliner, still makes Hamilton's team better than their opponents while on the ice. The 32-year-old has had just one season in his 13-year career where he was below 50 percent in on-ice underlying numbers (shot attempts, expected goals, etc.).
The big question is what it would cost. The Maple Leafs right now have just under $5 million in available cap space and that's without re-signing Nick Robertson. They would have to move out some players like David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, or Max Domi in this deal or a separate one to make the money work. And that's not even starting on what the Devils want. Maybe the acquisition cost would be incredibly low if the acquiring team takes on the full contract, but that's just guesswork.
It is something to look out for and something that could add a whole new offensive dynamic to this team.