The Boston Bruins have traded defenseman Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames. In return, the Bruins receive the 15th overall pick, 45th overall pick and 52nd overall pick in this year’s draft.
BREAKING: Bruins acquire 2015 1st round pick (#15) & two 2015 2nd round picks (#45 #52) from CGY for Dougie Hamilton: http://t.co/7TmPoYevOu
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 26, 2015
Hamilton, 22, was drafted 9th overall in the 2011 draft. The pick was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the blockbuster deal that sent scoring winger Phil Kessel to the Leafs in exchange for a package that included two first-round picks. Tyler Seguin, dealt to the Dallas Stars a few years ago, was one of those selections and the other was Hamilton. In 178 games over three seasons, Hamilton has recorded 22 goals and 61 assists. Last season, Hamilton set career-highs in goals, assists and points, but finished the season with a career-low -3.
With the Flames, Hamilton becomes in instant fixture in their top-4, probable to play on the top-pairing. His puck movement and smooth skating will be an asset on the back-end for a Flames team that loves to move the puck up the ice quickly to their young, fast forwards. This trade also comes somewhat full circle, as the pick acquired by the Bruins to select Hamilton was traded to them from Brian Burke, who is currently with the Flames organization. Now, if only they can get Phil Kessel as well, things will come to full fruition.
For the Bruins, they’ll now have some breathing room on the cap with no restricted free agent defenseman looking for a big-time contract. This buys them time to re-evaluate what they need to do to clear up some more space and also gives them a mid-round pick in the first that will surely be a very promising prospect in their impressive pipeline.
