With the news breaking that the New York Islanders are, no longer quietly, shopping talented young defenseman Travis Hamonic, all NHL eyes have turned to the franchises located in or nearest to Western Canada. Darren Dreger's initial report on Hamonic trade interest pointed to teams like the Winnipeg Jets, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks as being among the teams to which the elite blueliner would like to be dealt. Dreger expanded on that on Wednesday afternoon, while appearing on Winnipeg's TSN 1290.
Dreger told the hosts, per Chris Nichols of Today's Slap Shot, that Jets are likely Hamonic's "preferred" destination, at least to start the season. And while the Jets - and likely every other team in the NHL - has "a ton of interest" in a top-pairing player like Hamonic, just entering his prime league years at 25, it will be a difficult deal to pull off, especially for Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, because Winnipeg may not have the types of player or players that would interest the Islanders and Garth Snow.
Dreger also reports that the Oilers and GM Peter Chiarelli had spoken with Snow, engaging in discussions "dating back to prior to the start of the season." The Canucks don't seem to have spoken with the Islanders to this point.
Dreger: "I know that Edmonton has had discussions with Garth Snow and the #Isles dating back to prior to the start of the season." #Oilers
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) November 18, 2015
But the problem, as it always is in such situations, is to find a scenario that actually works for both sides.
Elliotte Friedman's initial report suggested that Snow wasn't interested in picks or prospects - he's seeking a like player in exchange for Hamonic's rights.
That, combined with the four-year term remaining on Hamonic's deal, makes it a difficult trade to enact. He's an elite player, which requires elite compensation - something most NHL personnel man are rarely willing to part with. Add in the fact that, per Dreger, Snow is not feeling any "pressure" to get a deal done, and Hamonic himself suggesting to reporters on Thursday that he's willing to play out the season if necessary, and it's starting to look this is the kind of situation that could take a while to resolve.
