Dougie Hamilton Is On A Hot Streak After Being Healthy Scratched

Dougie Hamilton has eight points in his last seven games, following a recent healthy scratch. ​

The defenseman was healthy-scratched in January, but has been on a hot streak since, helping the New Jersey Devils go 5-1 in their last six games.

​Earlier this month, SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman reported that Hamilton’s agent, J.P. Barry, considered the scratch a business move to encourage Hamilton to accept a trade, after Hamilton was linked to trade rumors.

However, since then, defenseman Luke Hughes has been placed on LTIR, which Friedman believes impacts Hamilton's future.

On a recent episode of the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman explained his opinions on what may come next.

"(Hughes) is going to be out for a little bit. And what that has done is bring the Dougie Hamilton derby to a crawl or a standstill," Friedman said. "Now I don't think it's impossible (a trade happens), but I think if someone came to the Devils with something they couldn't say no to, they would do it."

​Hamilton has 17 points in 46 games this season, recording an assist in each game since January 6.

​The 32-year-old has been on a hot streak and, as Elliotte noted, appears likely to remain a Devil for now. ​

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