Odds Favor Carolina Hurricanes Trading Dougie Hamilton Before Deadline
- Dougie Hamilton has 10 goals and 12 assists this season
- He makes $5.75 million per year until 2021
- Hamilton was traded from Calgary to Carolina in the last offseason
Here’s a shocker, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton is on the trade block.
The toughest thing to trade for in the NHL are young, right-handed, offensive defenseman. The 25-year-old Hamilton appears to be the exception to the rule. He was traded from Boston to Calgary and Calgary to Carolina and now according to odds released. He’s likely to move again before Monday, February 25th (the NHL Trade Deadline).
Odds the Hurricanes Trade Dougie Hamilton
| Will Dougie Hamilton be Traded by the Deadline? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -250 |
| No | +170 |
*Odds taken 2/12
With Carolina expected to be busy before the February 25th deadline, it makes sense Hamilton could move. But here’s the case why there’s value in him staying exactly where he is right now.
This is why we had to get this guy pic.twitter.com/H9WvJ7I0kE
— Tom Dundon (@TDCanes) October 27, 2018
Small Market Hurricanes Love Good Contracts
There are 31 teams in the NHL and the Carolina Hurricanes out-spend exactly none of them. Their salary ranks dead last in the league, placing a premium on inexpensive talent outperforming their deals.
Dougie Hamilton fits this description perfectly. Right-handed defenseman who can put up points cost a premium, and frankly, the Hurricanes aren’t being forced to pay it on his current contract, which has two more years after this one at an affordable $5.75 million number.
Other teams would send some nice pieces to get the deal, but then Carolina would be forced back into the market to find a replacement and may not be able to find one as good or as affordable as Hamilton.
Dougie is doing his thing#TakeWarning pic.twitter.com/jkOhmzJwvU
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 10, 2019
Hurricanes Playoff Bound in 2019?
The team and its new owner Tom Dundon are clearly interested in the bottom line, as evidence by the limited pay roll and also by paying both their Head Coach and GM a low amount in comparison to others.
That said, will he and the Hurricanes be willing to be sellers when they have a great chance of making the playoffs this year?
Carolina currently sit one point out of the final Wild Card spot in the East and could easily find themselves in the postseason. With the revenue generated from home playoff dates a real possibility, what are the odds the team will still sell on players like Hamilton, Michel Ferland or Brett Pesce?
Money matters matter, especially in small markets. There’s less than two weeks until the deadline and it’s unlikely Carolina will play themselves into a position they will definitively be able to say they aren’t playoff contenders by then.
They could justify selling players on expiring deals but not a player of Hamilton’s caliber with two more years left on his contract. Any deal they can make at the deadline, they could make at the draft or later in the offseason.
How Much Would Hamilton Cost a Contender?
There’s a common perception that something must be wrong with Hamilton. A young defenseman rumored to be on the move for the third time before his 26th birthday isn’t something you see in this NHL landscape.
Whatever price the Hurricanes believe they may be able to fetch for Hamilton, it might be lower, considerably lower. Teams are starting to ask the question why is it this player continues to find himself on the trading block? Fair or not, it’s a reasonable question to ask for rival GM’s.
Carolina Hurricanes: The revival of Dougie Hamilton #Hurricanes https://t.co/uTNd9PxsbA pic.twitter.com/VywVH5Xql9
— Hurricanes Report (@canes_fanly) February 6, 2019
Don’t be Surprised if Hamilton Stays in Carolina
Could Hamilton be moved? Of course, but there’s no value to taking that side of the prop.
With as much evidence as there is on this deal not being made over the next two weeks, bet the ‘NO’ side and enjoy the windfall when the Hurricanes make the choice between keeping Hamilton or moving him when they have more time to filter through offers at the draft.
PICK: DOUGIE HAMILTON WILL NOT BE TRADED BY THE DEADLINE (+170)
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
