Devils Stay Quiet at Trade Deadline, Hamilton & Nemec Remain

For the NHL, it's March 10th. Here's what's happening.

The New Jersey devil surprised many fans by staying quiet at last Friday's NHL trade

deadline. They were expected to make moves, with rumors swirling about veteran defenseman

Dougie Hamilton and young blue lineers Simon Nimic. In the end, both stayed put for the

rest of the season. Hamilton, a 32-year-old with a $9 million average annual value through

the 27-28 season, proved tough to move. Analysts pointed to his upcoming $7.4 million

signing bonus on July 1st as a big hurdle. Teams might wait until after that to pursue

him seriously this summer. Meanwhile, experts like Elliott Friedman speculated about a possible

deal to the Toronto Maple Leafs. That would have needed salary retention and cap gymnastics,

plus Toronto on Hamilton's 10-team trade list. Still, no deal happened. For Nimic, the

22-year-old on his entry-level deal, the devil's fielded offers for a young top 6 forward.

He set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and recently switched agents, possibly

eyeing a pact like teammate Luke Hughes 7-year. $63 million contract.

Pierre LeBroom thinks Nimic is more tradable than Hamilton come summer. San Jose's Mike

Greer shot down rumors of offering William Ecklin for him, though the sharks eyed Hamilton

last year. Expect more action when the off-season hits.

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