The New Jersey Devils’ new contract
with defenseman Luke Hughes raises more questions about Dougie
Hamilton’s future with the club.
Hughes, 22, agreed to a seven-year
contract with an average annual value of $9 million, tying him with
the 32-year-old Hamilton for the highest average annual value on the Devils. The
latter is signed through 2027-28.
Hamilton surfaced in the rumor mill
earlier this summer as negotiations between the Devils and the Hughes
camp were ongoing. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently asked how many
power-play quarterbacks one team needed in today’s NHL.
On Sept. 23, Hamilton addressed the
trade conjecture, saying he didn’t pay much attention to it. He
reminded everyone that he signed with the Devils because he believes
he can help them win the Stanley Cup. Nevertheless, Peter Baugh and
Chris Johnston of The Athletic wondered about Hamilton’s future in
New Jersey.
Most of the trade rumors regarding
Hamilton had the Devils peddling him in a cost-cutting move to free
up salary-cap space for Hughes’ new contract. They now sit above the
$95.5 million salary cap by nearly $4 million ($3.983 million,
according to PuckPedia).
However, James Nichols of New Jersey
Hockey Now pointed out that defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic ($4
million AAV) remains sidelined indefinitely after undergoing knee
surgery during the summer. The Devils are expected to place him on
LTIR, which should make them cap compliant before their
regular-season schedule begins on Oct. 9. They could also place
injured forward Stefan Noesen ($2.75 million) on LTIR.
Those moves will only provide
short-term cap relief for the Devils. At some point, Kovacevic and
Noesen are expected to return to the lineup this season, meaning the
club must shed salary to become cap-compliant.
That could resurrect the Hamilton trade
speculation, but his $9 million cap hit won’t be easy to move during
the regular season. He also carries a 10-team trade list, which
narrows significantly the number of potential trade partners for the
Devils.
NHL Rumor Roundup: Updates On Jacob Markstrom And Yegor Chinakhov
The New Jersey Devils took care of a
big piece of business on Wednesday, re-signing RFA defenseman Luke
Hughes to a seven-year, $63-million contract.
Meanwhile, former Philadelphia Flyers
goaltender Carter Hart could be joining a new NHL club soon.
Hart, 27, was part of the five former
members of Hockey Canada acquitted of sexual assault charges stemming
from a 2018 incident in London, Ont. They are eligible to sign with
NHL clubs on Oct. 15 and can return to action once their suspension
with the league ends on Dec. 1.
Chris Johnston of The Athletic reported
Wednesday that Hart is “almost certain” to sign with the Vegas
Golden Knights. He had drawn interest from several teams, but he’ll
play meaningful minutes with a contender in Vegas.
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