Clock ticking on Dougie Hamilton decision for Hurricanes as NHL free agency looms

NHL free agency begins Wednesday, and that once meant wild scrambling by general managers, crazy spending and new contracts that had jaws dropping.

That was then. The pandemic is not over. The NHL salary cap isn’t budging. A lot of teams are trying to recover from the financial baths taken because of COVID-19 restrictions that had arenas empty until late last season.

For the Carolina Hurricanes the question remains: What does Dougie Hamilton do?

The Canes’ big defenseman is an unrestricted free agent. He’s a right-shot defenseman whose offensive metrics are good. He runs the Canes’ top power-play unit and plays with Jaccob Slavin on the top D pairing. Hamilton, 28, is former All-Star who was fourth this past season in the Norris Trophy voting.

Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said he wanted the Hamilton situation to be resolved before free agency begins Wednesday at noon. The clock is ticking and Hamilton unsigned.

But what are the Canes willing to spend to keep him? And will the Canes offer enough to get him to sign and stay?

“We’re fortunate to have an owner willing to spend to the cap,” Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said Saturday on a media call. “We know we’re going to be a cap team but we’ve got to also make sure that we spend our money correctly.”

Tom Dundon is the Canes owner and wants to win a Stanley Cup. Rod Brind’Amour won the Cup as a player with the Canes in 2006 and wants another as the Canes coach.

“For years we talked about making the playoffs,” Waddell said. “We don’t want to talk about that anymore. We want to talk about winning championships.”

But can the Canes do it without Hamilton? That’s hard to say.

Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada said Monday on NHL Tonight that he believes the Canes offered Hamilton a contract similar to what the St. Louis Blues gave defenseman Torey Krug: seven years with an average annual salary of $6.5 million.

Hamilton’s agent, J.P. Barry, told the News & Observer in June that contract discussions with the Canes had been cordial but there were “different views on the market.” No numbers were given.

Barry could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Should Hamilton leave, he would be going to his fourth NHL team. Drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2011, he was later traded to the Calgary Flames and then to the Canes in June 2018.

The Canes, with Brind’Amour as coach, have since been a playoff team all three of Hamilton’s seasons. By all accounts, it has been a good fit for the player and the team.

“I have nothing bad to say about my experience here and being a Carolina Hurricane,” Hamilton said after this past season. “I’ve really enjoyed it. Hopefully we can keep going.”

Friedman said he believes the New Jersey Devils could make a big play for Hamilton.

“If he wants money, I don’t think anyone can match what the Devils can offer with their cap space,” Matt Larkin of The Hockey News told the News & Observer on Tuesday.

The Hurricanes have other issues to address, too. They need to sign some goalies, and speculation has been Petr Mrazek and recently acquired Jonathan Bernier, both UFAs, could be the answer, although Waddell is not ruling out trades.

One intriguing trade was made Tuesday by the Vegas Golden Knights. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, the 2021 Vezina Trophy winner, was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks got Fleury, and his $7 million cap hit; Vegas received minor league forward Mikael Hakkarainen.

“We’re approaching this very open-minded,” Waddell said. “We have a plan and I’m very confident we’ll have two very quality starting goaltenders.”

Forwards Brock McGinn and Jordan Martinook are UFAs. What to do there?

“It’s not just what their value is but how we’re going to make this all work with the cap,” Waddell said Saturday. “We want them back. Obviously Roddy (Brind’Amour) wants them back.”