Defenceman Simon Nemec won’t play against the Wild, but Johnny Kovacevic, who just returned from injury, is good to play his second game in as many days.
The team’s decision to scratch Hamilton on Sunday coincided with Kovacevic’s return, but did not sit well with the defenceman or his agent, J.P. Barry.
“Barry feels this is a business decision to try to force Hamilton to accept a trade,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said during the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada. “Now, Hamilton did move to a partial no-trade clause this season. He can be traded to only one of 10 teams; the other 21 he can block.
“One thing we are aware of is that in the summer, San Jose did try to trade for him, and Hamilton blocked that move.”
Hamilton, 32, has recorded five goals and five assists in 40 games, down from last season, when he tallied nine goals and 31 assists in 64 contests.
With two years left on his contract after 2025-26, Hamilton is due $8.4 million next season and a $7.4 million bonus in the summer, which means that a contract termination is not on the table, per Friedman.
