{"id":409672,"date":"2026-01-14T23:21:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T23:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/409672\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T23:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T23:21:10","slug":"nhl-rumor-mill-january-14-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/409672\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumor Mill \u2013 January 14, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

More speculation about Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton<\/a>, and the latest on the Canucks, Flyers, Senators, and Predators in today\u2019s NHL Rumor Mill.<\/p>\n

THE LATEST DOUGIE HAMILTON CHATTER<\/p>\n

TSN:<\/a> Pierre LeBrun reported observers were caught by surprise when Dougie Hamilton<\/a> returned to the New Jersey Devils<\/a> lineup one day after being a healthy scratch against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (NHL Images).<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the expectation is that Hamilton will be traded, though there\u2019s no indication that a deal is imminent. LeBrun indicated that the remaining two years on the contract with an average annual value of $9 million is a \u201ccomplicating factor.\u201d<\/p>\n

LeBrun suggested the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> and Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> as potential destinations. Hamilton played with the Hurricanes before, but it depends on whether they want to bring him back and what the Devils want in return.<\/p>\n

The Devils are also interested in moving winger Ondrej Palat<\/a> in a separate cost-cutting deal. However, his $6 million cap hit makes it a difficult proposition.<\/p>\n

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW<\/a>: James Nichols believes Hamilton could fetch the Devils a top-six forward or a third-line center. Nevertheless, management\u2019s handling of this situation has cast the club in a bad light.<\/p>\n

SPECTOR\u2019S NOTE: Hamilton\u2019s contract is a stumbling block, even though the salary cap will rise significantly over the next two seasons. His 10-team trade list is another, though he\u2019s reportedly willing to be flexible. Hamilton\u2019s injury history is also another concern.<\/p>\n

The Hurricanes have the cap space and the depth in tradeable assets to reacquire Hamilton, but they could be uninterested in a reunion. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are pressed for cap space and are thin in draft picks and prospects to draw on for trade bait. They\u2019d need the Devils to retain up to half of Hamilton\u2019s cap hit, and even that might not be enough to squeeze him into their cap payroll unless they include a player in the deal.<\/p>\n

Some Devils fans are calling for general manager Tom Fitzgerald to be fired. However, Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.COM reports<\/a> Fitzgerald\u2019s job remains safe until at least the end of the regular season.<\/p>\n

UPDATE ON THE CANUCKS<\/p>\n

TSN: Darren Dreger believes the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks<\/a> could be open to entertaining offers for just about everyone on their roster, including Elias Pettersson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old center had been the subject of trade speculation during last season and the offseason. However, there hasn\u2019t been any communication between Pettersson\u2019s agent and Canucks management about waiving his no-movement clause.<\/p>\n

SPECTOR\u2019S NOTE: Patrick Johnston of The Province recently reported that there are teams still interested in Pettersson, despite the decline in his offense and his expensive contract running through 2031-32.<\/p>\n

If the Canucks are willing to listen to offers for Pettersson, they\u2019ll want at least a good young NHL center in return. They could be reluctant to retain part of his $11.6 million average annual value.<\/p>\n

FLYERS SEEKING GOALIE OPTIONS<\/p>\n

DAILY FACEOFF<\/a>: Anthony Di Marco reports a Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> source claimed the club is considering alternative options to replace struggling goaltender Samuel Ersson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t many options available in the trade market. Di Marco asked about Colten Ellis and Alex Lyon<\/a> of the Buffalo Sabres<\/a>. His source was open to the prospect of acquiring Lyon at the right price.<\/p>\n

SPECTOR\u2019S NOTE: The immediate options to replace Ersson might have to come from within the Flyers\u2019 system, given the lack of quality options in the trade market. The Sabres have been carrying three goalies this season, but their recent surge in the standings means they\u2019re not moving anyone right now unless it\u2019s for a return that will help them reach the playoffs this season.<\/p>\n

WILL THE SENATORS BE BUYERS OR SELLERS?<\/p>\n

TSN: Darren Dreger believes the next seven to 10 games will determine if the struggling Ottawa Senators<\/a> become buyers or sellers in the trade market. He noted that general manager Steve Staios was in Montreal on Monday scouting the Vancouver Canucks<\/a>, but felt that was Staios doing pre-scouting before his club\u2019s match against the Canucks on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Dreger believes Canucks winger Kiefer Sherwood<\/a> could be a good fit with the Senators, but they must start climbing up the standings before Staios gets that aggressive.<\/p>\n

OTTAWA SUN<\/a>: Bruce Garrioch also reported on Staios\u2019 scouting trip to Montreal on Monday. His sources indicated that the Senators GM continues to scour the trade market for a right-shot defenseman and a top-six forward.<\/p>\n

Garrioch speculated the Senators would likely be interested in Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek<\/a> and forwards such as Sherwood, Conor Garland<\/a>, and Jake DeBrusk<\/a>. However, Hronek has a full no-movement clause, and the Canucks could prefer to retain him. Tyler Myers<\/a> has been mentioned as a possibility, but they aren\u2019t moving him.<\/p>\n

The Senators have also kicked tires on Calgary Flames<\/a> blueliner Rasmus Andersson<\/a>. However, he\u2019d have to be willing to sign an extension before Ottawa would make that move.<\/p>\n

SPECTOR\u2019S NOTE: The Senators\u2019 most pressing need is goaltending, given Linus Ullmark\u2019s struggles, his recent absence, and the lack of backup depth. However, the market is thin on reliable goaltending options.<\/p>\n

Staios will become a seller by the end of this month if the Senators remain on their current path.<\/p>\n

PREDATORS NOT IN SELL MODE<\/p>\n

THE TENNESSEAN<\/a>: Alex Daugherty reports the anticipated player sell-off by the Nashville Predators<\/a> isn\u2019t likely to happen this season, if at all. After a poor start, they surged into wildcard contention in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re also not going to be buyers. General manager Barry Trotz could hold onto assets as \u201cown rentals\u201d if a suitable deal cannot be found.<\/p>\n

Daugherty noted that four of the Predators\u2019 trade-worthy assets (Ryan O\u2019Reilly<\/a>, Erik Haula<\/a>, Michael McCarron<\/a>, and Michael Bunting<\/a>) have contributed to the club\u2019s recent improvement. He also noted that all but O\u2019Reilly would likely fetch mid-round picks, which the Predators already have plenty of in the next two drafts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More speculation about Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton, and the latest on the Canucks, Flyers, Senators, and Predators in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234482,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-409672","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}