Defenceman Travis Hamonic has opted out of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving announced tonight. Hamonic notably becomes the first player to publicly opt out of this summer’s tournament.
#Flames general manager Brad Treliving has issued a statement on Travis Hamonic. https://t.co/5r4boIykoq
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) July 11, 2020
Travis Hamonic Opts Out of Stanley Cup Playoffs
Just hours after the NHL and NHLPA announced a ratified CBA extension and Return to Play plan, Travis Hamonic announced through the team that he would not be playing hockey next month. Any player in the league is able to opt-out of the tournament, though they have a limited time to notify their team.
Via the team, Hamonic cited family considerations as his reasoning for opting out of the tournament. It’s unlikely that Hamonic will be the only player to opt-out, and there should be a rush of announcements over the weekend before training camps start on Monday.
How This Affects the Team
Calgary once boasted one of the most promising blue-lines in the Western Conference. While it’s not without its stars in Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie, many Flames defencemen didn’t perform up to par this year. Players like Noah Hanifin have still failed to reach their full potential. Bright stars like Rasmus Andersson began to show through, but it wasn’t enough to reclaim their dominance as a whole.
Hamonic was a steady force and is exactly a type of depth leader that the Flames could use in the playoffs. He’ll be sorely missed as the Flames attempt to silence an offensively gifted Winnipeg Jets team.
But luckily, for the Flames, Winnipeg’s defence was decimated this year as well. While Neal Pionk and Josh Morrissey are nice pieces, they fail to instill any sort of confidence on paper. If Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan can reclaim last year’s magic, then Calgary might be able to offset the loss of Hamonic.
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