Dougie Hamilton’s time in the press box lasted just one game, but it appears the veteran defenceman remains very much on the trade block for the New Jersey Devils.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes are among the teams interested in Hamilton, whose availability was made clear when his agent and Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald traded barbs in the media after he was made a healthy scratch on Sunday.

Hamilton’s $9 million cap hit through 2027-28 and 10-team approved trade list are clear barriers in making a deal. The 32-year-old blueliner has five goals and 12 points in 41 games after providing two assists in his return to the lineup in Monday’s 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.

“I think it caught some people off guard that he was right back in the lineup because the impression on Saturday is that he wasn’t going to play for a while, but it doesn’t change anything,” LeBrun explained on Insider Trading. “Everyone involved is still focused on finding a trade for Dougie Hamilton as a resolution. Just not a sense that anything is imminent at this point. The fact that he’s got two more years on his deal at $9 million a year is a complicating factor.

“Carolina and Toronto are among the potential fits. Let me stress potential. Of course, he was with the Hurricanes and played well there. But it would really depend in terms of whether Carolina would go down that road and in terms of what New Jersey would take back in exchange. And with the Leafs, I think there’s no question they’re not taking him at $9 million a year, the Devils would have to retain. So we’ll see where it goes. They hope to get this done before the Olympic break.”

Hamilton is a Toronto native and also spent three seasons with the Hurricanes from 2018-2021, though it’s unclear if either are on his approved trade list. His agent, J.P. Barry, told LeBrun over the weekend that his camp is willing to entertain options from outside the list as well.

“Dougie was informed today that he will be not be playing now that [Johnathan] Kovacevic is back in the lineup. In our view, this decision is all about business rather than his game right now. Singling him out seems very calculated at this stage,” Barry told LeBrun on Saturday.

“Dougie has a 10-team trade list and there have been efforts to trade him going back to the draft last year. We have made it clear to the Devils that we will consider teams outside our list and other creative ways to get to a team that is mutually acceptable.”

Hamilton, who is averaging 21:36 of ice time this season, has 156 goals and 357 assists over 876 games with the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and Devils, adding nine goals and 22 assists over 71 playoff games.

Boston selected Hamilton ninth overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Palat also on the trade block

Hamilton is not the only the player who could be on the way out in New Jersey.

With the Devils up against the salary cap, LeBrun reports the team is also looking to move forward Ondrej Palat. The 34-year-old winger is signed through next season at a $6 million cap hit and also has a 10-team approved trade list and a no-move clause.

“One final thing is that New Jersey needs to move money too. That’s what they’re focused on now in a separate deal,” LeBrun added. “Ondrej Palat is the player they’re trying to move – $6 million a year. Again, not an easy proposition.”

Palat has four goals and 10 points in 46 games this season, averaging just 12:42 of ice time. He broke out with two goals against the Wild on Monday, seeing more than 10 minutes of ice time for the first time in five games, one day after playing a team-low 6:32 in a loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

A veteran of 871 career games, Palat has 181 goals and 515 goals over his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Devils.

New Jersey has a 3-6-1 record in their past 10 games and sit five points back of the Maple Leafs for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.