NHL Rumor Mill – July 7, 2025
NHL Rumor Mill – July 7, 2025
Check out the latest on Dougie Hamilton, Darnell Nurse, Evan Rodrigues, Mario Ferraro, and Joonas Korpisalo in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
SPORTSNET: During his season-ending “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” episodes, Elliotte Friedman wondered where defenseman Dougie Hamilton fits into the New Jersey Devils’ plans.
Hamilton, 32, is signed through 2027-28 with an average annual value (AAV) of $9 million. Friedman noted that his full no-movement clause now contains a 10-team trade list. The Devils also paid Hamilton his bonus on July 1.

New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (NHL Images).
Friedman thinks there’s a low percentage chance of Hamilton getting traded this summer. However, he said the blueliner’s name was “out there” in the market, adding he’d heard the Devils spoke to a couple of teams about him.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: New Jersey Hockey Now’s James Nichols pointed out that, at one point, promising Devils blueliners Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey were mentioned as trade candidates. He noted that moving Hamilton’s contract would free up the cap space needed to bolster their top-six forward lines and also add a third-line center.
Regarding the Edmonton Oilers, Friedman believes management checked with all their players who had a no-trade clause if they would waive them. Among them was Darnell Nurse, whom Friedman believes doesn’t want to leave Edmonton.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: David Staples of the Edmonton Journal believes this is the first credible news about the Oilers having any interest in trading Nurse. The 30-year-old defenseman is signed through 2029-30 with a $9.25 million AAV and a full no-movement clause until 2027.
Staples thinks there could be a trade market for Nurse’s “brutally aggressive style of play.” However, he also suggests that this might push Nurse to address why his performance has suffered in the playoffs and what he can do to fix it.
The Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are sitting over the salary cap by $2.95 million. Teams can be above the cap by 10 percent during the offseason but must be cap compliant for their season-opening game.
Friedman said there’s an assumption the Panthers could trade forward Evan Rodrigues, who carries a $3 million AAV through 2026-27. However, he indicated that he was told not to assume anything, as there are several options they could use to free up cap room. For example, they need to figure out if Matthew Tkachuk requires surgery and what his recovery timeline would be.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers general manager Bill Zito surprised everyone by re-signing core players Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand. Much has been made about their advantage of playing in a no-tax state as a factor in retaining those players.
However, the cost of keeping the core intact remained steep even with their tax advantage. Unless Tkachuk is out of the season on long-term injury reserve, they could indeed face the possibility of giving up a popular, useful depth player like Rodrigues in a cost-cutting trade.
Meanwhile, Friedman reported the Toronto Maple Leafs are among several teams interested in Jack Roslovic. The 28-year-old unrestricted free-agent forward enjoyed a productive season with the Carolina Hurricanes, finishing with 22 goals and 39 points in 81 games.
Friedman suggests Roslovic could be waiting for the Maple Leafs to free up some cap space by moving out a player or two. He indicated the Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres could also be interested.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Roslovic’s inconsistency probably explains why he remains unsigned nearly a week into free agency.
Turning to the San Jose Sharks, Friedman confirmed a report by Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period claiming they were looking to shop a defenseman. They recently added veterans Dmitry Orlov, Nick Leddy and John Klingberg, creating a logjam on the blueline.
Friedman suggested Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, Henry Thrun or Jack Thompson as trade candidates. Ferraro and Liljegren are UFA-eligible next summer, Thrun will be a restricted free agent (RFA) with arbitration rights next July, while Thompson is currently an RFA.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reported last week that Sharks GM Mike Grier was hoping to add a top-nine forward this summer. One of those blueliners could be used as trade bait to address that issue. Ferraro would have the most value if he were unwilling to sign a contract extension with the Sharks.
RG.ORG: James Murphy reports Markus Lehto, the agent for Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, said his client has not requested a trade.
The 31-year-old Korpisalo has been the subject of trade speculation since his end-of-season comments in which he expressed his unhappiness with his limited playing time. The Bruins’ recent signing of Michael DiPietro to a two-year, one-way contract fueled the conjecture.
Lehto stated there was no truth to a rumor that Korpisalo wanted to be traded, claiming his client loves it in Boston.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Korpisalo is signed through 2027-28 with an AAV of $4 million, though $1 million of that is carried by his former club, the Ottawa Senators. He also has a 10-team no-list.
DiPietro was a depth signing by the Bruins. His $812,500 AAV won’t count against their cap when he’s in the minors.