The biggest takeaway from the New Jersey Devils exit interviews is that it didn’t happen.
Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton “politely declined” to interview with the media after his agent went public this winter with his displeasure over a healthy scratch he had been keeping under wraps.
This is not the first time that Hamilton has refused an interview. New Jersey Hockey Now has requested him on three prior occasions, and he has declined to speak each time.
In fact, the last we heard from Hamilton publicly was December 17, 2025.
Amidst speculation regarding a Quinn Hughes trade, news surfaced that a deal or two of Devils players were made in Tom Fitzgerald’s efforts to free up cap space.
“I believe the Devils have vetoed some deals. OK? I believe it. I don’t know who, I don’t know what, but I believe it happened,” Elliotte Friedman said at the time on an episode of 32 Thoughts. “There’s too much noise for that to happen.”
It was later confirmed that Hamilton had blocked at least one trade with the San Jose Sharks.
Sitting at his locker after practice on December 17, New Jersey Hockey Now asked Hamilton if he had been contacted about waiving the no-move clause. Hamilton’s response sidestepped the question.
“You know, nothing has changed for me from the beginning,” Hamilton told New Jersey Hockey Now. “I had the same comments at the beginning of the year. So, I’ll stick to what I said at the beginning and it’s as simple as that.”
Then, things reached a crescendo.
The Devils made it known that Hamilton was to sit as a healthy scratch on January 11 against the Winnipeg Jets.
Hamilton’s agent—JP Barrie—issued a fiery statement, criticizing the way the Devils tried to force a trade.
Barrie said, “In our view, this decision right now is about his business rather than his game. It seems a very deliberate decision to step aside at this stage.” “Dougie has a 10-team trade list, and there have been attempts to trade him going back to the draft last year. We have made it clear to the Devils that we will look at teams off our list and other creative ways to reach a mutually acceptable team.”
Fitzgerald denied the allegations, stating that it was performance related and just “the business of our lineup”.
Ultimately, Hamilton was never transferred. At the 2026 NHL trade deadline, Fitzgerald even said he was never thinking about moving the star defenseman, making the mess he created even more confusing.
In the remaining 37 games of the season, Hamilton’s play improved with seven goals and 28 points.
Nevertheless, he has remained silent since then and is unwilling to comment on any matter.
make no mistake. That’s squarely on Fitzgerald, who was fired as Devils GM 10 days ago.
However, Hamilton’s silence since the defeat indicates his unhappiness with his current position. In fact, it signals the near end of his Devils tenure.
Hamilton has two years remaining on his contract, which has a cap hit of $9 million. He will be given a $7 million signing bonus on July 1.
The Devils will soon have a new general manager in charge. Maybe he can mend the relationship.
However, that seems unlikely, as New Jersey Hockey is now reported to be open to a new opportunity.
Hamilton has a 10-team trade list, which has potentially been expanded as his agent has indicated he is open to more possibilities.
The silence speaks volumes as it appears Hamilton’s future with the Devils is all but over.
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