Carolina gives Dougie Hamilton permission to talk to other teams

The other thing this does: allows Hamilton to see if the Hurricanes do make the best offer for him…potentially allowing for a return if he doesn’t like what he sees out there. Very interesting manoeuvre by team and player

In a very unusual move, the Carolina Hurricanes seem to be setting free their pending UFA star defender a few weeks early by allowing him to discuss a contract with other teams. Free agency begins on July 28, so this is more than an month ahead of time. There are some reasons why the team wants to do this, and do it so early, beyond merely giving their player who’s done well for them the opportunity to get a good deal elsewhere.