The Vancouver Canucks have signed free agent defencemen Travis Hamonic to a professional tryout contract. This will allow Hamonic to practice and take training camp with the Canucks. After that, they can decide to walk away or sign him to a contract.
#Canucks have signed Travis Hamonic to a professional tryout contract. The RSD ranked 2nd in TOI with the Flames last year, scoring 3 goals and adding 9 assists.https://t.co/e7kyNXxFiC
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 3, 2021
Travis Hamonic Signs PTO
Travis Hamonic is a 30-year-old right-shot defenceman who has played 10 NHL seasons with the New York Islanders and Calgary Flames. Over his career, he has played in 637 games, scored 37 goals, 151 assists for 188 points. This past season, he scored 12 points in 50 games for the Flames. He also had an even-strength Corsi for percentage of 48.9, and had the second-lowest expected goals and expected goals against among Calgary’s top-four defencemen during even-strength. He was used in a defensive role because 54 percent of his starts were in the defensive zone.
Hamonic opted out of the 2020 playoffs to protect his daughter who had previous health issues because of a respiratory virus.
— Titan Sports 365 (@TitanSports365) July 11, 2020
What This Means for the Future
Hamonic brings Vancouver a potential physical and defensive presence on their blue-line. Hamonic won’t score a lot of points, he’s scored less than 20 a season over the past four years. However, he is reliable in his own zone. He can play 20-minutes a game, break-up plays, block shots and use his 6′-2″, 205-pound frame to out-muscle players for the puck. He is also an excellent penalty-killer. The Flames finished as the eighth-best penalty-killing team and Hamonic led them in average short-handed ice-time per game.
The Canucks are also getting a player who can build strong ties in the community. Hamonic’s father passed away when he was 10 years old. Hamonic now runs an organization called the D-Partner program, where after every home game he meets families who have lost their father. He’s run this organization with both the Islanders and Flames.
A contract between the two seems pretty likely. However, given Vancouver is currently over the salary cap, it seems like this is a way to have him in camp and pay him after. They can make paper transactions to slide under the cap before signing him likely. Much like the Mike Hoffman situation.
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