Devils GM is 'working the phones daily' as Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat trade rumors swirl

Key Highlights

• "They’re very respected in that locker room, and they will be treated with respect.”Hamilton, whose $9 million salary cap hit is tied for the most on the team, was a healthy scratch Sunday at Winnipeg when Johnathan Kovacevic returned from injury to make his season debut.
• Fitzgerald insisted coach Sheldon Keefe has “carte blanche on the lineup” and called it solely a personnel decision that was performance-based.“His agent and I have been in constant communication, so there’s no secrets,” Fitzgerald said.
• "There’s no lost in translation, whatever it is.
• Just want to make sure everybody’s hearing the same message.”Agent J. P.
• Barry in a text message agreed with that assertion, saying there were no problems with Fitzgerald. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHamilton, who has two seasons left on his contract beyond this one and a list of 10 teams he can be traded to without his permission, returned to the lineup Monday and had two assists in a 5-2 victory at Minnesota.