Justin Pelletier of the Carolina News Observer: It was a move not completely out of left field but Dougie Hamilton was given permission to explore other teams this week.
The Carolina Hurricanes anticipated not being able to afford the next Hamilton contract. Therefore, the team granted this step to ensure the defenseman could get that eight-year deal somewhere else. Carolina hopes to get some sort of sweetener. Maybe allowing that extra year to be on a deal will help move things along before the end of July.
Free agency does not start until July 28th so there is more time than people think.