We are still two and a half months away from the 2026 NHL trade deadline. That hasn't stopped teams from making some trades already. The biggest trade to go down was two weeks ago when the Minnesota Wild acquired Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes in a blockbuster deal.
Hughes was highly sought after by a number of teams, including the New Jersey Devils. There is an obvious connection for Quinn Hughes with his brother, Luke, playing for the Devils. However, a deal could not be made before the Wild stepped in and landed Quinn.
To acquire Quinn Hughes, New Jersey would have had to trade former Boston Bruins first-round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft, Dougie Hamilton, who carries a $9 million AAV. Easier said than done. However, Hamilton, who has been the subject of trade rumors going as far back as the summer, remains some who could still be moved, according to Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report.
Former Bruins defense Dougie Hamilton listed a trade candidate
Hamilton isn't the only $9 million AAV player on New Jersey's roster on defense. Luke Hughes makes $9 million, according to puckpedia, and having two puck-moving defensemen make $9 million isn't ideal, despite the NHL salary cap going up. Richardson brought out his BS meter on the latest NHL trade and free-agency rumors, and he thinks New Jersey trading Hamilton is no BS.
"Hamilton was the subject of offseason trade speculation when the Devils were in negotiations to re-sign Luke Hughes. With both defensemen now carrying annual cap hits of $9 million, some observers wondered if there was room for two expensive puck-moving blueliners on the New Jersey defense corps,'' wrote Richardson.
Selected ninth overall by Boston and then-GM Peter Chiarelli, Hamilton played three seasons in Boston before Don Sweeney traded him to the Calgary Flames for a first-round pick and two second-round picks at the 2015 NHL Draft. The first-round pick was used on Zach Senyshyn, and the two second-round picks were used on Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Jeremy Lauzon.
Being surrounded by trade rumors is nothing new for Hamilton, and moving him with a $9 million AAV is something that is much easier said than done. Regardless, at 32 years old, he still has something left in the tank for contenders, but maybe not in New Jersey.