Dougie Hamilton, who reportedly blocked a trade to the Sharks over summer, is now being healthy-scratched by the Devils

"The Devils play the Jets on Sunday, and he won't play. He's already been informed he will not be in the lineup. The Devils say, 'Look, we have extra defensemen, Kovacevic is coming back, somebody has to sit.' But Hamilton's agent, JP Barry, feels that this is a business decision to try to force Hamilton to accept a trade."

"Now, Hamilton did move to a partial no-trade clause this season. He can be traded to only one of 10 teams; the other 21 he can block. One thing we are aware of, in the summer, San Jose did try to trade for him, and Hamilton blocked that move. The way it's going now for the Sharks, maybe he changes his mind. They're one of the best teams in the NHL to watch."

Dougie Hamilton has been moved to a lower defensive pairing and informed he will be scratched for an upcoming game. Hamilton holds a partial no-trade clause that permits trade to only one of ten teams while blocking the other 21, and he blocked a summer deal to San Jose. Hamilton is in year five of a seven-year, $63 million contract and is owed $11.55 million this season largely via a $10.55 million signing bonus, with significant compensation next year that makes mutual termination unlikely. Hamilton and his agent intend to seek a more mutually beneficial compromise.

Read at RMNB