NHL Rumor Mill – January 13, 2026
In today’s NHL Rumor Mill: Some suggested trade destinations for Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton, the Maple Leafs could face a tough decision with winger Bobby McMann, and some young players the Penguins should monitor in the trade market.
THE LATEST ON DOUGIE HAMILTON
THE SCORE: Josh Wegman noted that Dougie Hamilton’s time with the New Jersey Devils could be coming to an end soon. The Devils made the 32-year-old defenseman a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, sparking trade speculation after his agent indicated his client was willing to be flexible with his 10-team trade list to facilitate a mutually beneficial deal.
Wegman listed the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, and Calgary Flames as three clubs that should attempt to acquire Hamilton.
New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (NHL Images).
The Sharks reportedly attempted to acquire Hamilton last summer, but he vetoed the deal. Perhaps he’d reconsider with the Sharks now in playoff contention. He would instantly become, at worst, their second-best right-shot defenseman.
In Nashville, the Predators overcame a slow start to put themselves into wildcard contention in the Western Conference. Hamilton could elevate his game playing alongside Predators captain Roman Josi. They could add him without sacrificing their future.
Wegman admits a reunion with the Calgary Flames is unlikely, but pointed out that they could theoretically turn Hamilton into a draft pick or a prospect if he plays reasonably well over the remaining two years of his contract. He would also garner plenty of playing time if they end up parting ways with Rasmus Andersson.
RG.ORG: James Murphy reports the Sharks and the Utah Mammoth have circled back on Hamilton after attempting to acquire him last summer. A source told him that Hamilton had the Mammoth and the Toronto Maple Leafs on his no-trade list, but that won’t matter anymore.
That source suggested keeping an eye on Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz and defenseman Nate Schmidt. The Vegas Golden Knights and Detroit Red Wings could also be interested in Hamilton.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks could be interested if Hamilton is now willing to go to San Jose, but they could be reluctant to risk upsetting the promising chemistry they’ve built up among their players this season.
Hamilton could bolster the Mammoth’s depth on the right side of their defense corps. However, they are believed to be keen on re-signing Schmaltz, who is UFA-eligible this summer.
The Leafs and Golden Knights lack sufficient cap space to take on Hamilton’s full cap hit. The Devils would have to retain half his salary. Even then, the Leafs would have to shed salary to free up sufficient cap room. As for the Flames, it’s doubtful that Hamilton will okay a return to Calgary, or that they would want him back.
Nashville has already saddled itself with enough veterans on expensive contracts that are difficult to move. It would be surprising if they took on Hamilton even with salary retention.
Hamilton could be a good addition to the Red Wings’ blueline. However, general manager Steve Yzerman could have his eye on younger, more affordable options leading up to the March 6 trade deadline.
WILL THE MAPLE LEAFS RE-SIGN OR TRADE BOBBY MCMANN?
TORONTO STAR: Kevin McGran reports winger Bobby McMann played a key role in the Maple Leafs’ recent turnaround. He thrived during a recent stint on their top line. The 6’2”, 217-pounder is a streaky scorer, but he tallied 20 goals last season and already has 13 this season. He’s a speedy forward who plays with a physical edge and carries an affordable $1.35 million cap hit.
However, the 29-year-old McMann is UFA-eligible in July. He’s due for a significant raise that could be outside the Maple Leafs’ comfort zone. They could offer him $4 million annually, but he could get over $5 million on the open market.
McGran suggested that Treliving could consider using McMann as a trade chip to bolster the blueline. He pointed out that they already have plenty of big-bodied wingers, and they’ll have to make room for Dakota Joshua when the sidelined winger returns from injury.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Moving McMann would’ve been considered a no-brainer six weeks ago, when the Maple Leafs were at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and their supporters were screaming for a sell-off. Their recent resurgence, however, could make Treliving reluctant to part with McMann.
FOUR YOUNG PLAYERS FOR THE PENGUINS TO MONITOR IN THE TRADE MARKET
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski listed four young players that he believes the Penguins should be watching in the trade market.
Topping his list is forward Jakob Pelletier of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who is currently playing with their AHL affiliate in Syracuse. He also included New York Rangers winger Brennan Othmann, Winnipeg Jets forward Brad Lambert, and defenseman Ville Heinola.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Othmann is the more likely of those four to be available before the trade deadline. He’s frequently surfaced in the rumor mill lately. Lambert was briefly mentioned last November, but the Jets’ shallow prospect pool could make them unwilling to move Lambert or Heinola.
I’m beginning to get the impression that the reason none of the Senators … outside of Brady Tkachuk … ever appear in trade rumors, is that nobody really wants any of them, and that the reason Ottawa never appears as a possible trade destination when rumors are discussed, is that they are assumed to be on all those player’s no-go lists.
Whole paranoia Batman!!
LOL
I’ll try and give you some hope George!
See the link below from Natural Stat Trick. Just keep in mind these stats are the quick and dirty snapshot of how the teams skaters are performing. Not all scoring chances or high danger chances are created equal. Just ask an Oiler fan, as they are a team that takes chances with the puck as they try and make plays. It’s who they are.
The quickest single stat to get an idea of how the skaters are performing that kind of combines all of them is expected goals for %. xGF%. It is sorted from best to worst, in all situations to take into account special teams.
Historically, teams that finish high up in that category have success vs teams that don’t. The Panthers when they have their best players are always up there, as are the Oil (not yet this year Oil fans, be concerned), Dallas, COL etc.
Have a look at the list, compare it to the standings, and see the one team that stands out as the outlier. Your Ottawa Senators.
Either bad luck or bad goaltending, looks like the latter if you scroll right. Need Ullmark back and playing well, and they could be a contender in the East come playoff time.
https://www.naturalstattrick.com/teamtable.php?fromseason=20252026&thruseason=20252026&stype=2&sit=all&score=all&rate=n&team=all&loc=B&gpf=410&fd=&td=
Thanks for that link Ray … and the ray of hope. And I agree Ullmark is the key to their season — along with a back-up they can reasonably rely upon in back-to-backs and 3-games-in 4 or 5 nights portions of the schedule.
My above joking aside (partially) …. without revealing why Ullmark remains absent (and here I stress I totally agree that the reason is none of our business), management must know if there is little to no chance that he’ll be back any time soon, and owes it to the paying fans to say so and, above all, to start thinking about restructuring a team that is in free-fall. It can’t all be traced to “bad luck” and “bounces”.
Clearly, for whatever reason, the roster from top to bottom is suffering from an inability to function as a cohesive unit … and it appears to begin with total loss of confidence in the goaltending to provide at least .900 save % performances. Either that or the bulk of the 18 to 24 shots faced per game (an estimated average over their past 10) are in the unstoppable category due to defensive breakdowns by the D and Fs. Or some combination of both.
One thing is for certain, a 37 y/o veteran isn’t going to turn things around by himself.
GeorgeO, Toronto was going through a funk especially on the power play and they fired asst. coach Marc Savard. They have been 7-0-2 since. Maybe firing an assistant coach and getting some fresh blood in there might help.
Mmmm maybe Sr.
But the Leafs also have a more consistent (scoring-wise) F core group and goaltending than Ottawa and a D structure at least as good as the Senators and perhaps arguably better there as well.
To me, it was just a matter of time while they worked their way through key injuries before they started putting up points on a consistent basis.
Trading Hamilton is dependent on what NJ would want in return. That’s a horrible contract for a player in decline.
Never say never but I dont see any takers for Dougie at his full cap and recent injuries the last two seasons.
What type of damage would a buyout be for the devils…would it be a better option than retaininga significant amount in trade?
Of course doesnt help this season.
You’ve heard of elf on a shelf, get ready for McGran on McMann.
Nice one.
Othmann back up for last nights loss vs Kraken. Hit post twice. Still looking for 1st goal after 32 games. Has 2 career assists. Not sure if anyone is giving up much. Maybe NY could get back their 2027 2nd rd pick from Pittsburgh.
Lafreniere was bumped down to 3rd line. Didn’t respond well. Looked totally disinterested. Pittsburgh has the cap space to deal for him. Interesting that Ny has become the seller when we’ve spent preseason talking about Pittsburgh players in rumors.
This is why I was so disappointed ny didn’t give us this years pick. Not that kindel looks like a bad pick.
Slick wonder if Drury would consider a Zary for Laff trade. Zary has been playing good of late, seems it has taken him a year after that injury last year to get his confidence back. Huska has him bumped all over the place & struggling to find a role with the team. Maybe both players could flourish with a change of scenery.
Rangers are now the only team in EC under .500. Pittsburgh 1 point out of 3rd place in Metro and legit chance of playoffs. Do they go for it one more time? Would Panarin waive nmc to go there? His last year of contract is almost paid already thanks to 7mil signing bonus in summer. Can absorb all or part of cap hit. As great as he’s been in NY, they haven’t won anything with him. No reason to bring him back at this point and should be already trying to move him.
Hamilton to Chicago for a pick and Shea Weber?
Nj gets cap relief by LTIR Weber
Hamilton will surely get minutes and not be scratched
That could have legs Ihatecrosby.
On Jan 8 Chicago got the permanent LTIR Ryan Ellis from San Jose along with Jake Furlong and a 2028 4th-round pick for Nolan Allan, Laurent Brossoit and a 7th-round 2028 pick.
With the cap floor at $70.6 mil, Chicago – counting both Weber ‘s $7,857,143 and Ellis’ $6,250,000 cap hits (both are on IR) and buyout/performance bonus cushion excess and retained costs – have a total cap commitment of $83,383,809.
Dealing Weber’s hit and importing Hamilton’s $9,000,000, they’d still be well above the cap floor at $89,526,666 and still with a decent cap cushion.
Since they didn’t need the Ellis contract in the first place, his acquisition must have been associated with some pending deal, you would think.