The Dougie Hamilton off-season watch is in full force and teams have wasted no time making their interest known in the Carolina Hurricanes defenceman.
"It sounds like there's been a lot of conversations between Hamilton's agent, J.P. Barry, and teams around the league," Sportsnet's Chris Johnston said during the Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. "You get the feeling here that this isn't necessarily gonna resolve itself quickly.
"He has the ability to agree to terms with a team that could work out a sign and trade with Carolina. The business of the league is slowly getting up and going again. I don't think we'll see something here for a few weeks, much closer to that free agency date on July 28."
Carolina gave Hamilton permission to talk to other NHL teams, opening the door to a potential sign-and-trade deal, after contract discussions between the team and player broke off during the season. With the freedom, Hamilton has the ability to see if there is a better deal on the market over what the Hurricanes are offering.
Hamilton will be an unrestricted free agent after wrapping up a six-year, $34.5-million contract. He was traded from the Calgary Flames to Carolina in June of 2018.
The 27-year-old recorded 10 goals and 42 points during 55 regular season games, and added two goals and five points in 11 playoff games this season.
