After a chaotic ending to the 2024-25 NHL season, the New Jersey Devils are looking to reassemble the pieces to their puzzle. Injuries derailed their Stanley Cup hopes and ultimately led to an early playoff exit. Determined to right their wrongs, the Devils are looking to strengthen the lineup around Jack Hughes, but a former teammate of Brad Marchand might have to make way for that to happen.
Hughes and the Devils are desperate to witness playoff success. New Jersey hasn’t made it past the second round since the 2011-12 NHL season, when the franchise lost in the Stanley Cup Final. Still searching for the fourth Cup in franchise history, Hughes and company will enter the upcoming campaign with revamped expectations.
The Devils seemed destined to give any team a run for their money, but injuries ultimately dug a hole too deep to climb out of. Now, New Jersey is hoping its season won’t hinge entirely on lucky bounces. With that in mind, the Devils are reportedly exploring all options when it comes to one of Marchand’s former Boston Bruins teammates.
Dougie Hamilton, who has been a staple of the Devils’ blue line in recent years, could soon be on the move. According to reports around the league, the 32-year-old defenseman may be headed for new horizons.
Dougie Hamilton #7 of the New Jersey Devils skates during the second period against the Seattle Kraken at Prudential Center on December 06, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey.
“I know [Dougie Hamilton’s] name was kind of out there, and I know the Devils have been talking to a couple of teams,” insider Elliotte Friedman said in the 32 Thoughts Podcast. “I don’t have a great feel for it in terms of percentage/chances that anything occurs.”
see also
NHL News: Auston Matthews’ Maple Leafs reportedly have no interest in losing Brad Marchand’s former teammate
Past with Marchand
Hamilton was selected by the Bruins with the 9th overall pick in the 2011 NHL entry Draft. During his rookie year in the 2012-13 season, Hamilton, Marchand, and the Bruins lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Chicago Blackhawks.
The blueliner has yet to hoist a Stanley Cup in his career, and he might be pursuing the trophy with a new team during the 2025-26 campaign. Hamilton has played for four different teams already, and he could enter his fifth different locker room in the short-term future.
Contract
Hamilton is entering the fifth season of the seven-year, $63 million contract he signed with the Devils in July 2021. While New Jersey may be exploring a potential trade involving the veteran blueliner, his deal initially included a no-movement clause. However, as of July 1, that clause converted to a modified no-trade clause, allowing Hamilton to submit a list of ten teams he’s willing to join.
