CHICAGO — Like everybody across the hockey map, Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving watched the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks play in the Western Conference Final this spring. Sporting two of hockey’s deepest defensive corps, the Preds and Ducks went deep out West.
Today, Calgary can claim as stout a blue line as any in the National Hockey League, adding the sought-after Travis Hamonic to a Top 4 that will see two excellent pairings. Flames captain Mark Giordano and 50-point defenceman Dougie Hamilton will be followed over the boards by the smooth-skating T.J. Brodie and the rugged defender Hamonic.
“We’ve got two pairs now,” Treliving said during Day 2 of the NHL Draft at Chicago. “On the road, where you’re not in control of matchups, we can put two pairs out there who can play against anybody. We’ve got to be able to match up (against) Edmonton, they’ve got a heck of a team. But there are a lot of good teams in the West.”
In return, the Flames surrendered their first- and second-round draft picks in 2018, and a second-rounder in 2019 or ’20. The Islanders’ fourth-round choice in 2019 or ’20 will transfer to Calgary as part of this transaction.
Hamonic carries a cap hit of just less than $3.9 million for the next three years, with the Flames having their Top 4 locked up for that long as well. That Calgary gave up a largesse of draft picks that is eerily similar to the price paid to Boston for Hamilton two years ago (a first- and two second-round picks), suggests a commensurate value — at least in the eyes of Treliving.
“You can never have enough top defencemen,” he said. “Yes, we’ve made two deals over the past two years and given up some assets, but people aren’t just begging to (give up defencemen like this).
“You hate paying the price, but… he moves pucks, he’s a character kid, and he’s got some bite in him. I think he’ll fit in great for us. He checks a lot of boxes.”
After years of muddling around the nether regions of their conference, there is suddenly an arms race between the two Alberta clubs, with the Edmonton Oilers speeding past Calgary in the standings this season.
The Oilers have their goalie in Cam Talbot, and the Flames ended their search when they traded for Mike Smith last week to fill the gap in goal. The Oilers have an edge when you stack the duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl up against Calgary’s young offensive leaders, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.
But with this move, the Flames maintain a deeper blue line than Edmonton, as they try to avenge a season sweep at the hands of the hated Oilers last season.
“It’s fun,” Treliving said. “Both teams are progressing, and I look at that (Oilers) team and I see a team on the come.”
With this D-corps, so too are the Flames. That is, assuming Hamonic can find a game that abandoned him in an injury-shortened 2016-17 season. Hamonic broke a thumb early in the season, sprained a knee later on, and then tore some ligaments in a thumb when he came to the defence of captain John Tavares in a scrap late in the year.
The result was only 49 games played, a four-year low for the right-shooting defenceman, just 14 points and a woeful minus-21 defensive rating. His game is rugged, steady, and he can lay a lickin’ on you in a pinch, an asset with Deryk Engelland having moved on from the Flames to Vegas.
A warning light goes on when you consider that Hamonic has had knee ligament problems in each of the last three seasons. But whatever health concerns might exist, there is absolutely no questioning the character of this 26-year-old, who grew up in Manitoba farming country near St. Malo, Manitoba.
After having lost his father Gerry at age 10, Hamonic struck up something called the “Hamonic D Partner Program.” He invited fatherless children to Islanders games, spends time with them, and as such was awarded the NHL Foundation Player Award in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Ironically, one of the finalists he beat for the award was Giordano.
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