With the Devils believed to be searching for a new team for veteran defenseman Dougie Hamilton after scratching him today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that the blueliner turned down a trade over the summer. Friedman stated that the Sharks attempted to acquire the 32-year-old over the offseason but Hamilton used his trade protection to scuttle that. San Jose has since added Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy to their back end and given that they’ve been using LTIR all season, it stands to reason that they may not be interested in rekindling those discussions to see if Hamilton’s stance has changed. He has two years left on his contract after this one with a $9MM AAV, a price tag that will be difficult to move for value.
- Sharks forward Will Smith will accompany the team on their upcoming four-game road trip, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The sophomore has missed the last four weeks due to an upper-body injury and recently returned to practice, albeit in a non-contact jersey. The fact he’s set to travel with the team suggests that Smith should be able to return at some point on the trip. Through 33 games so far, Smith has been quite productive, collecting 12 goals and 17 assists while averaging just under 18 minutes per game of playing time.