The Calgary Flames made a franchise altering move this past weekend when they came out of nowhere and acquired defenseman Dougie Hamilton from the Boston Bruins for a collection of draft picks.
This was a very good draft class but it's hard not to love this move from Calgary's perspective.
They needed another minute eater on the back end who can help out in terms of possession and Hamilton is that in 10-fold.
He may have only just turned 22 but he's already one of the top young blue liners in the NHL and all numbers - both standard and advanced - suggest he will be a top-pairing defenseman if he hasn't become one already.
Since the beginning of the 2013-14 season (when Hamilton was 20) he is 15th in the NHL in 5 vs 5 points/60 minutes played (minimum 2,000) and is ahead of some outstanding defensemen in that regard.
As you can see he's produced points at a better rate than some of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL such as P.K. Subban, Shea Weber and Kevin Shattenkirk, among many others.
His 5 vs 4 production has been impressive, too, as he's already developed into one of the better blue liners in the league when it comes to putting up points on the power play.
Note: numbers span from 2013-15. Hamilton is far from just a point producer, though. He's extremely good in terms of possession and that's an area the Flames desperately needed to improve in.
Despite playing the NHL's hardest position at a young age the Boston Bruins were much better at both generating shot attempts and suppressing shots with him on the ice than without.
By all measurements Hamilton is probably already a top-pairing blue liner and at 22 he's just starting to come into his own.
The Flames gave up a lot of picks to get Hamilton but you'd have a hard time convincing me he isn't worth it.
Note: all numbers via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com Recent posts Draft review: Flames prioritize defensemen, upside