Hurricanes and Dougie Hamilton No Longer Talking Extension

The Carolina Hurricanes and Dougie Hamilton have decided they are no longer going to discuss a contract extension and have shelved talks until the offseason.

Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell was recently on the DFO Rundown Podcast and shared some details about the negotiations:

We've kind of decided that it would be best for both (sides to) just wait until the end of the (season). Let's sit down and see if we can hammer out a deal, (but) put it on the back burner so Dougie can worry about playing hockey at this point. Dougie wants to stay here. We've talked to him, he wants to stay here. We want to keep Dougie. We love Dougie. He fits in well with our team, (and our) coaches like him.

These talks have been in the headlines for months now because there was reportedly a huge gap between the two sides. The 27-year-old is having a huge season for the Hurricanes, scoring three goals and recording 24 points in 30 games. He's making $5.75 this season and is expected to demand close to $8 million per season for his next contract.

Will the Hurricanes pay up? If not, there's a long list of teams that will.

Tick tock, Mr Waddell.