The Carolina Hurricanes recently granted star defenseman Dougie Hamilton permission to speak with other teams ahead of free agency, which begins on July 1. If Carolina is unwilling to pay Hamilton enough to persuade him to stay, a rare sign-and-trade opportunity arises. If he were to hit the open market, the pending unrestricted free agent would be able to sign an eight-year deal instead of a maximum seven-year deal.
Hamilton will undoubtedly be well-liked on the market, and he is expected to receive a significant raise from his current $5.75 million annual salary cap hit after receiving Norris Trophy votes in each of the previous five seasons.
We know he attracts a lot of attention, and now Daily Face-Frank off's Seravalli believes a dark horse could have entered the Hamilton sweepstakes. Seravalli speculates that the Edmonton Oilers might pursue the star blue liner, as the insider isn't convinced that Ethan Bear will stay in Edmonton for the long haul.
Furthermore, Seravalli believes the Oilers will clear cap space by purchasing forward James Neal's contract, and that there is talk of moving Zack Kassian, which would free up even more money for a player like Hamilton.
This isn't the first time that rumours of a possible deal to bring Hamilton back to Canada have surfaced. People are wondering what general manager Kyle Dubas could do to land a top blue liner like Hamilton, as he grew up a Maple Leafs fan, just like Toronto. Dubas has reportedly coveted Hamilton over the years, according to reports in the league. According to one report from ESPN, Dubas inquired about Hamilton from the Hurricanes during trade talks involving Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen that were halted before the start of the season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet once admitted that he could see it happening.
