New Jersey Devils sign defenceman Dougie Hamilton to seven-year contract
The New Jersey Devils have inked the number one free agent target: defenceman Dougie Hamilton.
The contract is set to make Hamilton one of the highest-paid defencemen in the entire NHL as he signed a seven-year contract paying him an AAV of $9-million.
The No. 1 🎯 is off the board: #njdevils bringing in Dougie Hamilton in at a $9 million AAV.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 28, 2021
The contract, according to PuckPedia, the contract breaks down as the following:
Year 1 – $750k salary, $5.5-m signing bonus
Year 2 – $3.3-m salary, $3-m signing bonus
Year 3 – $10.6-m salary, $2-m signing bonus
Year 4 – $10-m salary, $2.6-m signing bonus
Year 5 – $1-m salary, $10.55-m signing bonus
Year 6 – $1-m salary, $7.4-m signing bonus
Year 7 – $5.25-m salary
Hamilton, 28, was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2011 draft and has turned into one of the most complete defencemen in the entire league. This past season he scored 10 goals and 42 points in 55 games, but his isolated impacts were tremendous.
According to hockeyviz.com, he provided even-strength offence at a 14 percent rate higher than league average and defence at a three percent rate above league average. On the powerplay, he drives play at a two percent rate above league average and on the penalty kill, four percent above league average.
The Devils mark the fourth team Hamilton will have played for his career, and very well could be his last. Over his nine-year career, Hamilton has appeared in 607 games for the Bruins, Calgary Flames and most recently the Carolina Hurricanes scoring 106 goals and 341 points.
The Hurricanes made an effort to re-sign Hamilton, but their reported best offer was an eight-year deal that paid him an AAV of $6.2-million, The Athletic’s Sara Civian reported.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.