The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have their eye on another defenseman who is currently on the trade block. This time, it’s New Jersey Devils blue liner Dougie Hamilton. After reports surfaced that Hamilton was a healthy scratch last Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets, attention quickly shifted toward a potential trade and where he could land if a deal materializes. As expected, fan bases around the league started connecting dots, and for the Maple Leafs, the fit makes sense, at least on paper.
Related: Reporter Reveals Why the Maple Leafs Didn’t Acquire Flames’ Rasmus Andersson
The report linking the Maple Leafs to Hamilton came from Jimmy Murphy of RG Media, who noted that the Toronto, along with the Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights, Detroit Red Wings, and Utah Mammoth, have all expressed interest in the 32-year-old defenseman.
Maple Leafs Reportedly Linked to Hamilton
In Murphy’s report, he detailed the situation between Hamilton and the Devils following the healthy scratch and included comments from both the team and Hamilton’s agent. When it came to potential suitors, this is what he shared:
“I had heard the Leafs and Mammoth were both on his ten-team no-trade clause and the Devils had talks with them before, but that won’t matter anymore,” the source said prior to Friedman reporting Hamilton nixed a trade to the Sharks.
“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.”
If Hamilton would welcome a move to Toronto, he would be an intriguing target for a team that could be looking to replace the injured Chris Tanev on the back end. The bigger question, though, is what a trade package might look like.
Hamilton’s contract complicates things right away. He carries a $9 million cap hit for the next two and a half seasons. For the Maple Leafs to make that work, the Devils would likely need to retain salary, and Toronto would almost certainly need to place Tanev’s $4.5 million cap hit on long-term injured reserve. If a player like Calle Jarnkrok, who is familiar with Sheldon Keefe and was used regularly under him, were included, that could reduce the amount New Jersey would need to retain to roughly $2.4 million, or about 27% of Hamilton’s contract.
Even then, a deal wouldn’t get done with Jarnkrok alone. The Maple Leafs don’t have a deep pool of assets, which makes constructing a realistic mock trade challenging. Names like Simon Benoit, Nicholas Robertson, Matias Maccelli, and potentially Ben Danford could be pieces the Devils show interest in. That said, given where New Jersey is in its competitive window, it feels more likely they would prefer players who can help now rather than strictly futures.
Related: Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald Speaks to Local Media
It also appears the Devils may want to move on from Hamilton to avoid any lingering storyline becoming a distraction, similar to how the Quinn Hughes situation dragged on for more than a year. Because of that, the return may not need to be massive. It likely wouldn’t be close to the package Florida paid for Seth Jones last season, but enough to allow New Jersey to turn the page. Hamilton’s no-trade protection also plays a role here, as his some control of his next destination, which could impact the return.
Regardless, Hamilton is another defenseman familiar with Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, and that familiarity could matter. Add in the chance to play for his hometown team, and it’s easy to see why Toronto would at least be kicking the tires on a move like this.
