Check out the ongoing fallout from Friday’s Trade Deadline in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.
WHY DIDN’T THE DEVILS MOVE NEMEC OR HAMILTON AT THE TRADE DEADLINE?
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: James Nichols reported Friday that the Devils were open to moving Simon Nemec if the 22-year-old defenseman would fetch a return that improved their top-six forwards.
Adding a winger for Jack Hughes’ line has been a longstanding need. However, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that they were hoping to add a top-six center.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes and Nico Hischier currently fill the top-six center roles on the Devils. Adding another top-six center doesn’t make sense unless they intend to move Hischier or Hughes.
New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (NHL Images).
Trading Dougie Hamilton proved to be a difficult task for the Devils. One reason is the $7.4 million signing bonus that the 32-year-old defenseman is scheduled to receive on July 1. He also carries an average annual value of $9 million for the next two seasons.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It seemed like Hamilton and the Devils would part ways back in January as he was upset over being a healthy scratch for a game against the Winnipeg Jets. Some Toronto pundits pondered the possibility of the Maple Leafs acquiring him, but that’s assuming they’re on his 10-team trade list.
The Devils could try again during the offseason, but will likely find that any interested clubs will prefer to wait until he gets his signing bonus before agreeing to acquire him.
SENATORS TRIED TO ACQUIRE WEEGAR
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports sources claimed MacKenzie Weegar was the Senators’ top trade target. However, the Calgary Flames traded the 32-year-old puck-moving defenseman to the Utah Mammoth.
It was expected that general manager Steve Staios would acquire a right-shot top-four defenseman or some additional scoring punch. However, they lacked a 2026 first-round pick to use as a trade chip, which hampered the Senators’ efforts to bolster their roster at the trade deadline.
Teams were asking Staios for young forward Ridly Greig and top prospects Carter Yakemchuk and Logan Hensler. However, the Senators weren’t parting with those players. Staios said he was looking at all options, including his goaltending.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Staios added winger Warren Foegele, who could help the Senators’ offense if he can regain the scoring touch that he lost this season with the Los Angeles Kings. He scored for them in Saturday’s 7-4 win over the Seattle Kraken.
Goaltending options were few and far between for the Senators and everyone else in this trade market. The best names out there were Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers and Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues. The Panthers are trying to re-sign Bobrovsky, while the Senators could be on Binnington’s no-trade list.
WHY DID THE FLAMES RETAIN COLEMAN AND WHITECLOUD?
SPORTSNET: Eric Francis reports Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy admitted that he received strong offers for winger Blake Coleman and recently-acquired defenseman Zach Whitecloud. He chose to retain them because they wanted to remain in Calgary and would help mentor their younger players.
CALGARY SUN: Daniel Austin reports it seemed almost certain that Coleman would be traded.
The 34-year-old winger has one year remaining on his contract. Austin considers it inevitable that his name will surface in the rumor mill again.