Report: Hurricanes open to trading Hamilton

Dougie Hamilton could be on the move once again.

Halfway through his first season with the Carolina Hurricanes, the 25-year-old is back on the rumor mill, and the organization is open to trading him, reports The Athletic's Craig Custance.

Hamilton was traded to Carolina from the Calgary Flames at the 2018 draft along with Micheal Ferland and prospect Adam Fox in exchange for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin.

Performance isn't an issue for Hamilton - he's recorded 14 points in 41 games this season while firing 134 shots on goal and ranking third among all blue-liners with a sterling 59.37 Corsi-For percentage, per Natural Stat Trick. However, he's one of four right-handed shots logging minutes on Carolina's back end and theoretically could be made expendable for an offensive upgrade, something the Hurricanes have been seeking all season.

Hamilton would likely fetch a considerable return, as he can immediately fit in any team's top-four and is locked into an incredibly team-friendly $5.75 million cap hit until 2021.