Hamonic Trade Rumors: Limited Options
By Ryan Ritchie
Hamonic Trade Rumors Took Center Stage on Thursday
Travis Hamonic trade rumors are being bantered about after a report was released on Thursday that Travis was looking to be traded. He cited family/personal reasons and has specifically asked to be closer to home. Hamonic was born in St.Malo, Manitoba, located south of Winnipeg, about half way between the capital city and American border.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
When considering potential destinations or trades for the 25-year-old defenseman, it’s worth keeping a few things in mind. Firstly, GM Garth Snow is not likely making any deal that doesn’t include a top four defenseman coming back the other way. Hamonic is the Islanders best defenseman, at an extremely affordable cap hit. With offensive minded defense like Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy, it’s important that New York brings back at least a decent two-way defenseman, but preferably a shut-down blue-liner.
Second, it was noted by former NHL’er Jeff O’Neill on “Leafs Lunch” Thursday that some confusion comes with the story. Jeff noted that as professional hockey players, guys don’t get a lot of time for their personal lives. He noted it’s a particularly difficult lifestyle, which begs to ask the question, does Travis Hamonic need to be in Manitoba for these personal issues? Lastly, even with Minnesota close geographically, it’s hard to imagine Hamonic having much interest in constantly crossing borders when he does it regularly for a living.
Oct 24, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic (3) handles the puck as St. Louis Blues defenseman
(25) defends during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
When the news broke on Thursday, experts were already offering up potential destinations, calling such cities as Edmonton and Colorado heavy contenders. Realistically, there’s probably only two teams that are close enough to accommodate him. And if Hamonic’s personal issues are in play, there’s really only one true contender.
Hamonic trade rumors to Minnesota broke early Friday on Sportsnet.ca, which is the other team that could accommodate him. Located just south of Manitoba, is Minnesota, which in reality is the next closest geographic team to Winnipeg. The Hamonic trade rumors to Minnesota are difficult to imagine with the Wild’s plethora of defenseman that has allowed them to keep Mike Reilly in the AHL to begin the season. The only player that could draw interest from Garth Snow is Matt Dumba. It’s unlikely the Islanders would be interested in one of Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin, or Jared Spurgeon (when it’s Hamonic going the other way).
Perhaps the only possible destination where Hamonic trade rumors could come to fruition (Winnipeg), let’s take a look and see if there’s any way to get a deal done. Mid as well scratch Dustin Byfuglien off the list considering he’s a free agent next summer and will be looking to get paid. His style might fit the Islanders, but there’s no way Garth Snow takes Byfuglien without some sort of reasonable extension (unlikely).
Hamonic Trade Rumors: Jets Top Targets/Scenarios
Nov 10, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Winnipeg Jets defenseman
(8) in the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Being heralded by experts as the one piece Winnipeg would need to be willing to shop to acquire Travis Hamonic. The whole reason Dustin Byfuglien still sits without a contract for next season is because Trouba was expected to be the focal piece of Winnipeg’s back-end. The Jets invested a very high first rounder on this young man, and he is the future of the blue-line in Winnipeg. He’ll likely be looking for more money than Hamonic next summer, but he’s worth every penny, so trading Trouba would be a major mistake on part of the Winnipeg Jets.
D Tyler Myers ($5.5 million dollar cap hit)
Another name that has come up in Hamonic trade rumors is Tyler Myers, who was acquired from Buffalo late last season in the Evander Kane deal. He’s a big physical blue-liner with a heavy shot, although he’s never peaked quite as high as when he was a rookie. Call this scenario less likely, as Myers would struggle to fill the top pair void in New York. Although if Winnipeg wants to move him, the time is now, because Myers has a three-year no-movement clause that kicks in 2016-17.
Outside The Box Thought:
Chances are, any trade talks between the Jets and Islanders would likely consist of Winnipeg heavily pushing Tyler Myers, when Garth Snow will likely be set on Jacob Trouba. There is one factor that could change the landscape of this trade. Winnipeg has goaltending depth, while New York’s number two and three are Thomas Greiss and J-F Berube. With the amount of teams featuring quality goalie tandems, it might be worth acquiring another goalie. Especially if you consider the fact that some of Jaroslav Halak‘s best career numbers came when he was battling in-goal with Carey Price in Montreal, and Brian Elliott in St.Louis.
The statement we can make with most confidence is that Michael Hutchinson is the least likely of the main three to be moved. That leaves Ondrej Pavelec and his $3.9 million dollar cap hit, and Team USA’s MVP from last spring’s World Championship, Connor Hellebuyck. If the Jets can convince the Islanders to bolster their goaltending depth, we could see a package of two or three Islanders being shipped to Winnipeg for Tyler Myers and one of Connor Hellebuyck/or Ondrej Pavelec.
So hockey fans, which scenario makes the most sense? Is there any way Winnipeg and New York finds a way to hammer out a deal? Put yourself in Garth Snow’s shoes. You’ve got your hands tied with a player who loves playing for New York, who came to you at the beginning of the season to request a trade. A month and a half of the new season passes with no resolution, forcing Hamonic’s camp to go public with the request.
Next: Linus Ullmark Filling the Void in Buffalo
Do you feel anymore pressure to get a deal done if you’re Garth Snow? Do you have to open yourself up to other possibilities? or do you risk losing the player all together if he takes a leave of absence if no trade is done? It’s a bit of a sticky situation for the Islanders, but Hamonic is a high character player, so one has to imagine the situation is pretty significant and dire for it to have gotten to this point.