The likelihood of an in-season trade involving New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic was always going to be low, for any number of reasons. Hamonic, 25, is a big, budding blueliner with an immensely high ceiling and the contract to match, playing on a team looking likely for an NHL playoff spot. A desirable addition for any team, to be sure, but not one that will come cheap or easily. And according to Hamonic's agent Kevin Epp, it's pretty much a done deal at this point that his client won't be headed elsewhere on or before Feb. 9.
"He's playing such good hockey and the Islanders are in a playoff position," Epp said Thursday, while appearing on Vancouver's TSN 1040, per Today's Slap Shot. "I mean, I'm not necessarily sure he's going to get moved unless there's a deal that makes sense for both sides, which it hasn't so far. So nothing leads me to believe that he'll be moved."
Epp added that if a deal does come, he suspects it will be around "draft time" in July.
Hamonic's $3.875 million cap hit over the next four seasons is incredibly affordable for a guy with his skillset and potential, though his $4.875 million salary is a bit on the hefty side. But that's actually one of the biggest sticking points with Hamonic - he, like many young NHL defenseman, is not yet a fully known commodity. Sure, his ceiling could be Zdeno Chara, but his true ceiling could also be much lower than that. This season, he's been a steady player for the Islanders, but nothing spectacular. New York was obviously expecting continued growth when they handed Hamonic that deal, but right now you're paying as much for what he could be as what he is.
So when the young defender made his early season trade request, it was either going to be a deal that came together really quickly, or something that dragged on as Isles GM Garth Snow pursued the absolute best return for franchise at the same time as he attempted to guide his team to a postseason berth. And with the Islanders very much in the playoff hunt and Hamonic playing that steady role, it sounds like the best bet for fans of a team like the Winnipeg Jets is to cross their fingers and hope a deal involving Hamonic comes during the 2016 NHL Draft.
