Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher preached patience this past offseason in regards to signing or trading players, as the expansion draft was just around the corner. The Flyers were left with a huge void following Matt Niskanen’s retirement. Furthermore, some young defensemen struggled throughout the season with the likes of Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov, and Philippe Myers. Some vets also struggled, as well, to include Erik Gustafsson and at times Shayne Gostisbehere. The Defense overall was a mess this past season, and Fletcher knows it. So much so, that that a rugged defenseman in Dougie Hamilton should be the target now as he has been given permission by the Carolina Hurricanes to talk to other NHL teams.
Now this could be for leverage purposes, but Fletcher has traded for the exclusive negotiating rights for players before, as Fletcher traded a 5th round pick for exclusive negotiating rights to ultimately sign Kevin Hayes. In this case it would most likely be a sign and trade, but nonetheless it’s time for Fletcher to add in this most glaring need this offseason. Shoring up this need now could only help the Flyers as the offseason progresses in terms of who to add and who to trade, of course the cap would be taken into consideration as the offseason progresses, as well.
Hamilton, a Right-Handed Defenseman would be a great fill in for Niskanen. Unfortunately, he will cost but at age 27 he is showing no signs of slowing down, and Hamilton would fill Niskanen’s shoes nicely.
This Right-Handed Defenseman in Hamilton can play in any situation the coaching staff asks of him. Hamilton could also provide veteran leadership for the youth to include Provorov, Sanheim, and Myers. He also logs 22:43 of ice time per night, and tallied 10 goals this past season. Moreover, Hamilton also chipped in 22 assists, as he transitions well from defense to offense. Hamilton would be exactly what the doctor has ordered for the Flyers.
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Hamilton excels at defending his position and shutting down high-scoring opponents. He has good lateral mobility and plenty of size as he stands at 6’6 and weighs 227 pounds. Hamilton can block shots with the best of them and is physical which is an area the Flyers desperately need to shore up to have an extended playoff run.
He will come with a hefty price tag in the area of $8-10 million, but the Flyers need a good top pairing defenseman to pair with the young Provorov. Hamilton more than fits this bill, and he is still considered young. The Flyers have not been sticking up for one another after some big hits to Scott Laughton and Sean Couturier most notably, well that would come to an end with Hamilton on their team:
When will Fletcher strike? It’s only a matter of time. In the coming days, Fletcher will hopefully be busy trying to obtain a quality top four Defenseman, especially with bidding wars starting to ensue with the news from the Carolina Hurricanes.
So who are the Flyers parting with to create the cap space to afford a $10 mil cap hit?
JvR