Why would the Oilers want Hamilton in the 1st place?
In part because the price is right, and in part, because they can take advantage of a situation in which the team no longer wants the player and the player probably wants a fresh start as well.
Hamilton is currently on pace for 11 goals and 30 points (he has 6-10-16 in 44 games now).
Before the trade in Carolina, he had four straight seasons of 40 points and 1 season of 50 in Calgary. He also flirted with the 20 goal mark with the Flames last season, which is extremely difficult for a d-man to do.
His defensive play has slipped to -12 from a +1 last year, which admittedly is a concern, but if he catches fire again he could displace Kris Russell in the top 4 and then the Oilers would have another puck moving d-man they’ve been coveting for a long time, particularly one on the right side. He played his best hockey beside Mark Giordano in Calgary, could he do the same here beside rising star Darnell Nurse? It’s a calculated risk that yes he could.
If own zone play is a concern, he can always start on the 3rd pairing against soft competition to get his confidence back, maybe even manning the point on the 2nd PP unit to get his confidence back.
If he doesn’t work out, at $1.75 million a year to the team, he’ll be easy to move on from.
This is a move that, IMO, is low risk but potentially a lot of rewards involved.