Multiple Canucks players happy to see Hamonic go: report
The trade deadline is often a stressful time for players.
It’s hard not knowing if you’ll have to relocate your family to another city, and have to say goodbye to teammates that get traded.
About that last part…
New Canucks GM Patrik Allvin sent Travis Hamonic to Ottawa on Sunday in a trade that was simultaneously applauded in Vancouver and panned by Senators fans.
It seems that more than one Canucks player also applauded the move, happy to see Hamonic leave town, according to NHL insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
“The change in the room. Multiple players have reached out just to say ‘what a breath of fresh air’ it was after getting rid of Travis Hamonic,” Servalli said in an interview on Sportsnet 650 with Satiar Shah and Dan Riccio.
What was the approach to this deadline for the #Canucks?@frank_seravalli joined #Canucks Central with @danriccio_ and @SatiarShah to discuss that, what moving Hamonic does for the team, and what happens next in Vancouver.
š¢ https://t.co/lJN6l8wd9d
š https://t.co/5C1lTefdiN pic.twitter.com/vj5v3LkUsd— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) March 22, 2022
Former Senators defenceman Marc Methot questioned the move on Twitter, calling it a “weird acquisition” by Ottawa.
āI know lots of players. All of them have told me that the new acquisition is a bit of a different bird,” said Method. “Not sure thatās what Iād want around a young core.ā
Hamonic was under the microscope this season for reportedly being hesitant to get vaccinated, which delayed the start of his season until October. He didn’t appear in a road game until February, unable to travel until he was fully vaccinated.
When in the lineup, Hamonic averaged 18:22 of ice time, scoring seven points (3-4-7) in 24 games. He had the lowest Corsi-for percentage (47.84%) of any Canucks regular on defence this season, splitting time between playing with Quinn Hughes and on the third pairing.
Sens GM Pierre Dorion defended the acquisition, pointing out that Hamonic has a “great relationship” with associate coach Jack Capuano, who coached the defenceman during their time together with the New York Islanders.
“Travis Hamonic is someone… I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I didn’t look at Twitter once yesterday, and I got home, and the girlfriend said, ‘Don’t look at Twitter.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ I didn’t look at it, by the way,” Dorion said during his post-trade deadline media conference on Monday.
“He was really happy. Obviously, he’s had things in his life that we can’t control… That’s a private thing. He’s happy coming here. He’s gonna play. I think he’s someone that is maybe not as people describe him,” said Hamonic.
Dorion added that while Hamonic isn’t the player he used to be, he’s still a good skater, can make a good first outlet pass, and will “stabilize” the defence.
“Let’s just calm down a bit, you know?”
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