The Carolina Hurricanes announced that defenceman Dougie Hamilton is sidelined for the foreseeable future with a broken fibula. A further timeline will be available after the team assesses the need for surgery and further medical treatment.
Dougie Hamilton suffered a broken fibula last night. Further evaluation today will determine if surgery is needed. Similar injury that shut down Jordan Staal 1/2 season in 2014. @nhl @SiriusXMNHL @Canes
— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) January 17, 2020
Dougie Hamilton Injured
Hamilton and Kevin Stenlund of the Columbus Blue Jackets collided and their legs were tangled up. His left leg got caught underneath him when he fell to the ice. Hamilton landed at an awkward angle. He would need help leaving the ice and not return to the game.
So far this season, Hamilton has scored 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points to go along with 32 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 57.7 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 4.2.
Over his 8-year NHL career, Hamilton has played for the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes. He has 96 goals and 203 assists for 299 career points in 552 career games. Boston originally drafted him in the first round, ninth overall in the 2011 NHL Draft.
What This Means for the Future
Hamilton has been a key piece of the Carolina Hurricanes’ success since joining the team for the 2018-19 season. This year he is having one of the best offencive years of his career, on pace for a career-high 69 points. He is now unlikely to hit that mark. Hamilton is one of the top contenders for the Norris trophy this season and this injury could potentially sideline him for the rest of the season. If it does, he will surely be out of the race for the best defender in the NHL.
Hamilton’s absence from the lineup will for sure drag this team down. Thankfully this is a franchise with defencive depth. In the meantime, the top pairing at the blue line will likely feature Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce. While Hamilton’s absence cannot be understated in the impact it will have on this team’s ability to be competitive, they have a large stable of serviceable replacements.
RALEIGH, NC – FEBRUARY 03: Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton (19) shoots the puck while Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin (55) tires to block him during the 1st period of the Carolina Hurricanes game versus the Calgary Flames on February 3rd, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
