I'm sure a lot of you are keeping an eye on who's going to be available at the trade deadline after the Stars have lost their last eight out of ten games. That's something the Stars should not be proud of at all. If this current group were to go into the Stanley Cup Playoffs later tonight, they would not even make it to the Western Conference Finals. I'm sorry if it sounds a bit harsh, but with the way they are playing now, Cancun is in their future.
One of the players that I have on my wishlist at the trade deadline is Dougie Hamilton. I know the Devils want to cut back on their salary cap, and they aren't paying Hamilton nine million dollars next season. Look for the Devils to try, and move him at the trade deadline this season. I wouldn't be shocked if the Stars start kicking on his tires after the Winter Olympics break once they put Tyler Seguin on the SELTIR. That's when the Stars can really start making some moves for a deep playoff run.
If the Stars really want to make some noise and pull this off, there would have to be some agreements set between the Devils and Hamilton. First, the Devils would have to retain some of his contract this season and next year. That way it would make it easier to trade him this offseason to a team willing to take on his contract. The second thing is Hamilton would have to agree that he's just a rental for the remainder of the season and wouldn't come back next year.
If Jim Nill were to pull this off and win the Stanley Cup this season, he would go down as the greatest GM ever in the history of the league. It would be a big swing of a trade that Nill is not afraid of doing, especially after last season's Mikko Rantanen trade. Hamilton's scoring ability is something the Stars could use if Robertson or Rantanen is having an off day. However, this trade could go down as one of the best trades the Stars have made in the last five seasons if it brings home the Stanley Cup.
If you want to know what percentage I think this trade could happen would be 30%. I don't believe Nill would risk parting with another another first-round pick and possibly Emil Hemming or Cameron Schmidt. It's just too risky, especially since it would be a rental for the remainder of the season. I would rather have someone under contract for next season only if the Stars would make a deal. That's why Blake Coleman would make a lot of sense for the Stars, and he's a Plano native as well.
In conclusion, a trade for Hamilton would be a surprise trade that Stars' fans, but one they'd welcome if it meant winning the Stanley Cup. However, there are too many variables to make this trade work. The last thing the Stars want to do is part with a bunch of trade capital and end up not winning the Stanley Cup. I think it would make sense for the Stars to swing for someone a bit more manageable and would be back next season. However, you don't know what's going on in Nill's head right now.