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Breaking down the Travis Hamonic trade

June 26, 2017, 11:34 AM ET [139 Comments]
Todd Cordell
Calgary Flames Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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On Saturday the Calgary Flames pulled off a big trade acquiring Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders in exchange for a few high draft picks.

Here's the complete breakdown.



I didn't really get to write about the trade over the weekend -- I had a wedding to go to -- so I'm going to share some thoughts now:

1) First and foremost, Hamonic is a big addition to the back end. He is capable of playing big minutes, he's physical, he shoots the puck a fair bit, and he can hold his own in possession while playing tough competition.

T.J. Brodie is coming off a bit of a down season -- from his perspective, anyway -- but I think that's because of who he played with. He had either Dennis Wideman (655), Michael Stone (288), or Deryk Engelland (257) attached at the hip for more than 1,200 of the 1,430 minutes he logged at 5v5. Stone is the best of the bunch but neither of the three brings anything to the table offensively and they were the worst shot suppression defensemen on the roster.

Brodie's ability to drive play and produce was neutered almost the entire season. That won't be the case moving forward.

2) Though Hamonic is not a big time point producer, he has been pretty efficient scoring at 5v5. He ranks 37th among 169 eligible defensemen (minimum 2,000 minutes) in 5v5 points per 60 over the last three seasons. Shea Weber, Keith Yandle, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Seth Jones are just a few notables Hamonic's been more efficient than during that span. Overall, he's not a prolific offensive player but it's clear he can chip in at full-strength.

3) Hamonic not only brings top-4 level play to the table, but he will do so at a team-friendly price. The 26-year-old is signed for three more seasons at just $3.85 million per season. For perspective, the likes of Josh Gorges, Kevin Bieksa, Kris Russell, Jonathan Ericsson, Jason Garrison and Andrew MacDonald, among many others, carry higher cap hits.

4) Is a 1st and two 2nd round picks a lot to give up for a player? Sure. It may not be as much as it seems, though. For the sake of argument, let's say the Flames are the 8th best team in the league two years running. Those picks would equate to 23rd overall in 2018, 53rd overall in 2018, and 53rd overall in 2019. It's pretty much a toss up the Islanders would hit on the 23rd overall pick and the chances of a late 2nd panning out range from 20-30%. There's a pretty good possibility the Islanders get at least one solid player oout of those picks but, even so, they have to wait a year to make a choice and at least an additional two or three to have something to show for it. The Flames want to make a big push in the near future and Hamonic will help them do that.

5) Lastly, the Flames' prospect cupboard is pretty stacked right now.

Up front, they have the likes of 2016-17 AHL WAR leader Mark Jankowski, Dillon Dube, Matthew Phillips and Andrew Mangiapane, among others.

On defense, Juuso Valimaki, Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington and Adam Fox all look really good.

In goal, it's a good bet at least one of Tyler Parsons, Jon Gillies and/or David Rittich can play in the NHL within a couple years.

Most teams shouldn't or wouldn't be comfortable trading three high picks for a quality player. The Flames are among the few that could make this kind of deal and still be optimistic about their future.

Recent posts:

Flames select Juuso Valimaki 16th overall

On Engelland to Vegas and how Flames fared in award voting

Flames among those in the running for college free agent Spencer Foo

Flames acquire Mike Smith

Flames lose out on Rutta sweepstakes

The Flames should stay away from Alzner in free agency

Giordano-Hamilton the NHL's best pairing in 2016-17
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