The New Jersey Devils are set to make a considerable change to their lineup for Sunday.
Defenceman Dougie Hamilton has been told that he will be a scratch for the Devils' game against the Winnipeg Jets after Johnny Kovacevic made his return to practice, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The decision to sit Hamilton, however, has not sat well with the defenceman or his agent, J.P. Barry.
"Barry feels this is a business decision to try to force Hamilton to accept a trade," Friedman said during the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada. "Now, Hamilton did move to a partial no-trade clause this season. He can be traded to only one of 10 teams; the other 21 he can block.
"One thing we are aware of is that in the summer, San Jose did try to trade for him, and Hamilton blocked that move."
On Saturday, Hamilton skated on a fourth-line pairing with Colton White while Kovacevic played with Hamilton's usual partner, Jonas Siegenthaler.
Kovacevic, 28, was placed on long-term injured reserve following a knee injury he sustained at the end of last season. He underwent knee surgery on May 8. Sunday would mark his season debut.
Hamilton, 32, has recorded five goals and five assists in 40 games, down from last season, when he tallied nine goals and 31 assists in 64 contests.
"Barry has indicated they will consider discussing some of the teams that Hamilton can block a trade to," Friedman said. "But there's no question that the feelings are hard on both sides.
"Losing does that. Hamilton feeling (that) he's being targeted for non-performance reasons certainly does that."
With two years left on his contract after 2025-26, Hamilton is due $8.4 million next season and a $7.4 million bonus in the summer, which means that a contract termination is not on the table, per Friedman.
The Devils are sixth in the Metropolitan Division and looking to snap a three-game skid with a win against the Jets at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on Sunday.
