NHL Free Agency: Three best landing spots for Dougie Hamilton
1. New Jersey Devils
From Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman to other insiders, the New Jersey Devils have emerged as the main contender for Dougie Hamilton, and it is a marriage that would make a lot of sense.
For starters, the Devils will have around $31 million in cap space to play with (per CapFriendly), and very few teams will be able to outbid them if they do dicide they want to go all out and make a huge statement by signing a player like Hamilton.
If the defenseman is looking for a long-term deal in the region of $8-$9 million per year, then the Devils would be able to give him just that and still have room to make other moves.
Secondly, this is the perfect move for Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald to make in order to help his team take the next step and start building towards being a contender in the National Hockey League.
They aren’t there yet but they boast an exciting young core headlined by the likes of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Ty Smith and Mackenzie Blackwood and those four in particular should spearhead a bright future in the Garden State if they can all live up to their potential.
However, this team as it is currently constituted could do with a real veteran presence and Hamilton would offer that given he has played in the league for nine years, but he would also give the Devils a legit No. 1 defenseman.
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He would provide a hell of an offensive punch from the blueline, he would quarterback the top power play unit and he would be a lethal weapon for the likes of Hughes and Hischier, and Hamilton would certainly help the New Jersey Devils to take the required next step in their overall maturation process.