This is one of those reports that you'd be hard-pressed to give credence to, were it not for the fact that it comes from one of the NHL's most plugged-in insiders. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the New York Islanders are "very quietly" shopping defenseman Travis Hamonic.
TSN's Darren Dreger added to Friedman's report, suggesting that the issue causing the team to shop Hamonic "personal," though the player "loves" the franchise. Per Dreger, Hamonic has "family concerns" in Western Canada that are pulling him back home.
Dreger suggests that the teams on Hamonic's list of preferred destinations include the Winnipeg Jets, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks.
Unfortunately, this is bound to be a tricky situation, as Friedman suggests that Islanders GM Garth Snow won't accept picks or prospects - he wants an "equal-level replacement."
Per Friedman, the "exact reasons" for the team making Hamonic available are not known, but at least one rumor that came floating down the NHL pipeline to Friedman suggested that Hamonic was unhappy with the odd setup the Isles players face on a day-to-day basis, commuting from Long Island to Brooklyn.
Other sources refuted that notion, with one suggesting it had, "nothing to do with it," and another indicating that the possibility of Hamonic being moved was actually very real even before the 2015-16 NHL season began.
There are, of course, bound to be no shortage of suitors for the 25-year-old blueliner, even beyond the teams listed above.
Hamonic is a right-handed, top-pair defender with four years left on his deal, which carries an AAV of $3.857 million - a figure that, by NHL standards, is quite low.
As Friedman notes, teams tend to shy away from acquiring players with term, but the former second-round pick has seemingly begun the transition into an elite, shutdown defender that's also able to chip in offensively. Last season, in 71 games for New York, Hamonic matched his career-high in goals (5) and set a new personal best in assists (28). He also averaged 21:47 of ice time and is up to 23:20 through 19 games this year.
He's also, by nearly any measure, a strong presence off the ice, frequently inviting players who have lost parents to Islanders game as his guest.
In the end, it's a strange situation and one that likely won't be resolved easily. But for a guy like Hamonic, there are sure to be some extremely motivated NHL personnel men willing to deal.
