NHL Trade Speculation: Dougie Hamilton and More Untouchable Prospects

With the NHL trade deadline just over one week away, many teams will face the enormously tough decision of whether to trade some of their best prospects for proven stars that will help their teams right now.

While some prospects can be traded for the right price, some elite talents are completely untouchable and won't be traded at the deadline.

These are the types of prospects that are future franchise cornerstones.

Let's look at three untouchable prospects who won't be dealt before the trade deadline on February 27.

Dougie Hamilton, D, Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins build their teams on great defensemen, and that's exactly what Dougie Hamilton will become when he reaches the NHL, which could be as early as next season.

The Bruins drafted him with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft. With that selection, they closed the book on the highly successful Phil Kessel trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs (the Bruins also got a 2010 first-round pick in exchange for Kessel).

Hamilton is a huge presence on the ice at 6'4" and almost 200 pounds. He is a physical player who dominates in his own end, but can also excel in the offensive zone.

He has scored 14 goals with 42 assists for 56 points in 38 games this season for the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL. The Bruins won't trade Hamilton before the deadline.

Mikael Granlund, Forward, Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have fallen from the top of the NHL standings to battling for a playoff spot, but that doesn't mean they will make a bold trade to part with elite prospects like Mikael Granlund of Finland.

Granlund was selected ninth overall by the Wild in the 2010 NHL draft, and is an amazing offensive talent.

The speedy forward has scored 20 goals with 29 assists in Finland's SM-liiga this season. Those are quite impressive stats for a young player.

Granlund has superstar potential and is NHL-ready, so it's expected he will be a part of the Wild's roster next season. His offensive skills are developed further than most of his peers, and he will have little trouble playing well in the NHL when he arrives.

The Wild won't think about trading Granlund until they see how effective he can be in the NHL.

Teemu Pulkkinen, Winger, Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings would love to add a top-six forward like Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets at the deadline, but they won't part with Teemu Pulkkinen in any deal because of his spectacular offensive talent.

With Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen all past 30 years of age, Pulkkinen will be needed to lead the Detroit offense well into the future.

Pulkkinen has unbelievable speed and is a great scorer, thanks to his world-class shot accuracy. Pulkkinen has NHL superstar written all over him, and the Red Wings won't want to give up a prospect of his talent anytime soon.

To see every team's untouchable target, check out this story.

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